The United Nations migration agency has appealed to international donors for $24.6 million in funding to help it support over one million Somalis affected by drought.
Humanitarian agencies are worried that the situation has started to look increasingly similar to the 2011 famine in Somalia, in which over a quarter of one million people died, according to a press release from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“We named this (2017) drought ‘Odi Kawayn,’ which is Somali for ‘something bigger than the elders,’” said drought victim Halima, explaining that none of the elders has ever seen a drought as severe as this one.
The IOM appeal has been designed to enhance the current response, and expand the agency’s geographic footprint within the northeast African country.
A massive increase in humanitarian assistance is urgently needed to avert a famine, with humanitarian agencies estimating that 6.2 million drought-affected Somalis are in need of assistance, including food, water and sanitation, health and nutrition, protection and shelter.
