Somalis mark Mawlid with chants, marches and camel donations

Thousands of Muslims gathered on Monday (August 24) in Mogadishu to celebrate Mawlid al-Nabi, the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, with religious chants, devotional songs and marches through the Somali capital.

Men performed religious chants while women sang and held banners bearing messages of love for the Prophet at Mogadishu's Daljirka Dahsoon monument. Participants waved green and white flags and marched through the city, with worshippers saying this year's celebrations drew larger crowds than in previous years.

Worshippers also credited improved security for allowing large crowds to gather for the celebrations in Mogadishu.

For many participants, the commemoration extends beyond public displays of faith and devotion. As part of the Mawlid celebrations, organizers assembled 1,538 camels on the outskirts of Mogadishu on Friday (August 21), saying the animals had been donated to provide food for poor and vulnerable families.

Workers slaughtered the animals and packaged the meat for distribution while women queued to receive donations. Among them were displaced families who said the assistance had become increasingly important as humanitarian aid declined.

Organizers said meat and cooked food would continue to be distributed throughout the Mawlid celebrations, which commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.

The celebrations come as UNICEF said on Friday (August 21) that nearly 1.9 million children in Somalia are expected to be malnourished this year, with the country seeing a 32% jump in the number of children admitted to facilities with severe acute malnutrition and complications.

So far, 205 health and nutrition facilities have closed after unprecedented cuts to humanitarian aid, the United Nations children's agency said.

Funding to tackle acute malnutrition in parts of Somalia has dropped by more than 80% this year, Médecins Sans Frontières said earlier in August, with the U.S. halting funds and other Western countries also cutting aid.

Camera: Abdirahman Hussein; Editing and Writing: Raquel Muigai/Reuters