OCHA reports that severe drought in Somalia is putting millions of people’s lives at risk, with humanitarian aid still severely limited due to dwindling funding.
On Monday, the Government declared a nationwide drought emergency. The drought is particularly severe in the eastern and northern regions, but it is spreading to central and south Somalia as well.
Approximately 3.4 million people in Somalia are currently experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity – with more than 620,000 of them facing emergency levels of food insecurity.
Between October and December of this year, more than one in five people in Somalia – or at least 4.4 million people – are projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity.
The nutrition situation is equally alarming, with nearly 1.9 million children under the age of 5 expected to suffer from acute malnutrition between August of this year and July of next year.
The new Government drought declaration calls on humanitarian agencies to scale up life-saving efforts in the areas of nutrition, health, water and food security.
The appeal comes as aid organizations have been forced to reduce or suspend emergency assistance due to crippling funding shortfalls. The US$1.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only 22 per cent funded, with $317 million received.
OCHA warns that as a result, the number of people receiving emergency food assistance will drop sharply – from 1.1 million in August to 350,000 this month. This means that less than one in 10 people who need food assistance for survival in Somalia will receive aid.
OCHA.