“The efforts of local
communities and the scale up of humanitarian assistance prevented famine
thresholds from being surpassed in 2022, but millions of lives remain
on the line,” said Mr. Adam Abdelmoula, Humanitarian Coordinator for
Somalia.
With five consecutive poor rainy seasons,
the longest and most severe drought in Somalia’s recent history is
devastating the country. The drought has displaced more than 1.4 million
people and killed at least 3.5 million livestock, destroying
livelihoods and reducing children’s access to milk. Even though
technical famine thresholds have not been reached, the situation is
extremely alarming: prolonged and extreme conditions have resulted in
higher-than-normal deaths and excess mortality will continue to
accumulate unless assistance is further scaled up and sustained in
crucial sectors.
Amid an anticipated reduction in funding
for humanitarian assistance, 8.3 million people will likely experience
high levels of acute food insecurity between April and June, including
more than 727,000 who are likely to face catastrophic conditions. About 8
million people lack access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene
services. Reported cholera and measles cases have surged compared to
recent years, and acute malnutrition has increased. Conflict and
insecurity continue to drive needs and hinder humanitarian access.
“The people of Somalia are
paying the price for a climate emergency they did very little to create
create,” said Mr. Salah Jama, Deputy Prime Minister, Federal Government
of Somalia. “The Federal and State governments, local communities and
the Somali private sector and diaspora are working with the
international community to assist the most vulnerable people in the
areas with highest needs. I urge all partners to support these
lifesaving efforts.”
Humanitarian organizations, local
communities and government authorities have ramped up responses and
reached 7.3 million people in 2022, but they need additional resources
and unhindered access to people in need.
“I thank our donors who
generously funded the 2022 HRP and urge more donors to step up and
frontload their support. Any delay in assistance is a matter of life or
death for people in need,” said Mr. Abdelmoula. “We must also invest in
livelihoods, resilience, infrastructure development, climate adaptation
and durable solutions to break the cycle of chronic and recurrent
humanitarian crises in Somalia and ensure that those affected can adapt
and thrive.”Source: United Nations
