Puntland in the North-east of Somalia has officially declared a drought. So has the break-away region of Somaliland. And the United Nations is worried.
“4.7 million people or 40% of the population of Somalia are food insecure. This means 40% of the entire Somali population are food insecure or in crisis – that is 2 0out of every 5 Somalis – nearly 950,000 of these people cannot meet their daily food requirements and are in need of life saving assistance”.Peter De Clerq,
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia
The capital Mogadishu and much of south central Somalia are also affected. Millions need food aid. But authorities have evicted people from refugee camps outside the capital. The UN is urging government not to neglect internally displaced persons.
“Situation particularly affects IDPs. In fact 60% of food insecure persons are IDPs – mainly living in very bad situations in IDP camps in settlements all across the country. They continue to face continuous risks, forces evictions, discrimination, violation of children’s rights and gender based violence”. Peter De Clerq,
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia
“Ensuring immediate short-term support is available to those households badly hit by drought, flood, we also have to make sure there is more resources in attention to address the underlying causes of food insecurity within Somalia”.Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Somalia
Authorities in Somalia now want immediate response to the latest drought warnings and food insecurity to avoid a repeat of a famine like situation as witnessed in 2011. Experts also say that prolonged conflict in south central Somalia also greatly undermines the humanitarian efforts.
