The United Nations (UN) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, on Wednesday made an appeal for sustained support for the most vulnerable people of the country facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, reported The UN News.
“Somalia teetered on the brink of famine in recent months due to a historic drought characterized by five consecutive poor rainy seasons,” Abdelmoula said in Geneva.
He said the crisis needs immediate attention as it seems to be far from over. He warned that some of the worst affected areas continue to face the risk of famine.
Last month, seasonal rains led to flooding, and the deaths of 21 people, displacing more than 100,000 people.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator said climate change creates unpredictable cycles of drought and flooding and Somalia is truly bearing the brunt of it.
Notably, nearly 8.25 million people, half of Somalia’s population, are in need of lifesaving humanitarian and protection assistance. Nearly five million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, with around 1.8 million malnourished children.
Two-thirds of the Somalian population in drought-affected areas have no access to essential healthcare. Conflict and insecurity have exacerbated the crisis as nearly 660,000 people are out of the reach of humanitarian assistance.
While generous donations scaled up humanitarian assistance and better-than-expected seasonal rains have averted famine for now, still, 43,000 deaths over the anticipated mortality rate occurred due to drought-related causes in 2022.
The Humanitarian Response Plan needs $2.6 billion to provide assistance to around 7.6 million people this year. But, only 13 percent of the plan is funded so far.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator said there is a real risk of complacency due to the projection of famine being removed. He urged international donors to continue providing funding for Somalia to improve the condition of the people.
