The situation is dramatic.
The drought in Somalia has reached an unprecedented level.
More than 755,000 people have been internally displaced this year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
A total of one million people have been displaced since January 2021, when this terrible drought in the Horn of Africa began.
"This course is a huge wake-up call," NRC Somalia director Mohamed Abdi was quoted in a statement as saying.
“Famine now haunts the entire country.
We see more and more families forced to give up everything because there is literally no water or food in their villages.
There is an urgent need to increase aid funding before it is too late,” he added.
Eight regions threatened by famine
Somalia has been experiencing a historic drought for two years - a situation that has not been observed for more than forty years, according to the two organizations.
The number of extremely food insecure people is expected to rise from some 5 million to more than 7 million in the coming months, a situation exacerbated by the effects of climate change and rising food prices due to the conflict. in Ukraine.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said last week that famine could set in in eight regions of Somalia by September if crop failures and lower livestock production continue. become widespread, if the prices of key commodities continue to rise and if humanitarian aid fails to reach the most vulnerable.
“The situation in Somalia was already one of the most underfunded before this latest crisis.
Although we and our humanitarian partners are doing what we can to respond to the situation, our resources are simply insufficient,” noted UNHCR Representative in Somalia, Magatte Guisse.
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Somalia
Drought
Famine
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