Mogadishu, 13 August 2022 (TDI): According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), for the first time since 2017, catastrophic food insecurity has been confirmed in Somalia, and consequently, hundreds of thousands of people are on the verge of starvation and famine.
Catastrophic food insecurity has been confirmed in #Somalia for the first time since 2017. Hundreds of thousands of people are one step away from starvation and famine.@UN and partners continue to scale up the humanitarian response to avert the worst.https://t.co/jlZgFjdVH9
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) August 12, 2022
According to UNOCHA, the devastating food insecurity has affected more than 213,000 people. The office, along with its partners continues to “scale up the humanitarian response to avert the worst.”
Moreover, 6.4 million Somalis lack access to safe water and sanitation, while 7.1 million people, or 45% of the population, experience severe food insecurity.
At least 500 children have perished nationwide since January due to malnutrition and illness. As per reports, an estimated 1.5 million children under five are acutely malnourished.
Read more: Save the Children on drought in Somalia
4.1 million people have received aid from January to June, including food, water, sanitation, and hygiene support.
As of 9 August, the US $1.5 billion Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan for this year is 73% funded. In this regard, UNOCHA has appreciated the generosity of its donors.
In addition, there is an urgent need to invest in Somalia’s livelihoods, resilience, infrastructure development, climate adaptation, and long-lasting solutions. Humanitarians have concentrated on saving lives and preventing starvation, but development remains neglected.
Anticipation of further crisis
Following four consecutive dry seasons, more than 21 million people in Somalia, northern Kenya, and southern and eastern Ethiopia are already severely food insecure.
Moreover, Needs are anticipated to increase further as a fifth rainy season is projected to fail this fall.
According to the displacement statistics issued by UNHCR, one million people have been internally displaced in Somalia this year due to the severe drought.
Drought displaced people in Somalia hits 1 million‼️
More resources are needed to prevent the situation from worsening.#droughtinSomalia#moreisneeded@NRC_EAY https://t.co/nT4o3GFMGi— UNHCR Somalia (@UNHCRSom) August 11, 2022
Furthermore, it is anticipated that in the upcoming months, the number of Somalians experiencing a hunger crisis will increase from over 5 million to more than 7 million. The situation is made worse by the effects of climate change and increased food costs as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.
