The Somalia government has urged the international community for humanitarian support as severe drought affects over 6.9 million people in several parts of the country, reported Reuters.
In a statement issued in Mogadishu on Monday evening, Prime Minister Mohamed Roble appealed to donors to hasten aid as the drought condition is deteriorating.
After a meeting with representatives of the donor community on Monday, the Somalia prime minister said the drought has affected nearly 6.9 million people and more than 9.5 million livestock, with 2.6 million people facing severe water shortages.
“The country is experiencing the worst drought since the 2011 famine,” said Roble.
The prime minister added that three consecutive rainy seasons have failed, resulting in the destruction of livestock and crops. He went on to urge the international community to take part in the ongoing emergency assistance to the drought-affected people in the country. He informed that various countries and organizations have already sent aid to the worst affected areas of the country.
Roble made an appeal to the international community to come to the aid of the Somali people who are suffering from drought, in order to prevent famine, which would result in mass deaths and a difficult humanitarian situation to deal with.
The appeal came after the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the drought emergency is expected to get worse ahead of the next rainy season in April. The UN body noted that cases of measles and acute watery diarrhea/cholera are on the rise.
OCHA said additional funding for priority sectors is urgently required to save lives and livelihoods, adding that local communities, authorities, and humanitarian partners continue scaling up assistance within available resources.
Notably, Somalia has faced more than 30 climate-related hazards since 1990, including 19 floods and 12 droughts.
