Turjumaad ayaa la diyaarinayaa

Goat and sheep prices have surged by up to 40% in both Mogadishu and Dubai with just days to go before Eid al-Adha, as a punishing drought and heightened regional tensions combine to disrupt East Africa’s livestock trade. At Mogadishu’s Dayah Market, one of the capital’s largest livestock hubs, sellers report goats now fetching between 190 and 350, with some animals priced close to $400.

For millions of Somali families, livestock is more than an asset; it is the economic engine of the rural economy, contributing roughly 40 percent of the country’s GDP. The price spike comes at a particularly sensitive time, as Eid al-Adha-which falls on Wednesday, May 27; one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar, when Muslim families are expected to slaughter an animal as a religious sacrifice .

“The market situation has changed dramatically. The prolonged drought and the lack of money have caused livestock to become more expensive,” a trader at Dayah Market said.

Poor rainfall and limited pasture have sharply reduced the number of healthy animals arriving in the capital, squeezing supply just as demand is traditionally at its peak.