Drought Displaced Farmers Living in Squalor

More than 100,000 people who have fled their homes in the east of the country due to a prolonged drought are living in inhumane conditions, said pro-government magazine Stocks and Markets.



According to the piece on March 5, thousands have abandoned their land and homes as the three-year drought drags on.



Many moved to the Al-Shefonia village near Damascus, where they have set up makeshift homes in cramped, dirty tents. They have no electricity, clean water or fuel, reported the magazine.



Cotton farmers living in Al-Shefonia said the government turned most of their lands in Al-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor into grazing grounds because cotton crops require too much water, said the article.