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Ongoing drought in Somalia, lack of food and water is affecting more than four million people, a disproportionate number of them being children
By La Croix International staff | Somalia
NGOs are working to help millions of people in Somalia get basic food and water requirement in a country that is experiencing the driest conditions in four decades.
About 1.5 million children in Somalia, nearly half of the country's under-five population, are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition due to the ongoing drought that has affected more than four million people, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Somalia Food Security and Nutrition Assessment released last week.
James Swan, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia said some 7.7 million Somalis require humanitarian assistance this year, with 4.3 million impacted by drought and more than 270,000 displaced.
UNICEF Representative Angela Kearney pointed out that humanitarian emergencies of this magnitude disproportionately affect children. "The numbers we are seeing this year are quite high and unless urgent measures are taken, thousands of children are at risk of dying."
UNICEF Somalia Communications Officer Victor Chinyama has also sounded the alarm over the lack of clean drinking water which is endangering the health of millions of Somalis.
Chinyama said families are taking desperate measures to survive. Since November, he notes half a million people have fled their homes in search of food, water, and grazing land for their cattle, exposing them to many risks.
He urged the international community to act now to support Somalia and avoid a repeat of the 2011 famine, which killed an estimated quarter-million people.
Three consecutive seasons of failed rains combined with ongoing conflicts in many parts of Somalia have left a quarter of the population needing immediate food assistance.
The lack of water has already caused epidemics of infectious diseases, such as measles and cholera.
The impact on pastoral communities is particularly severe.
Water shortages have forced families to migrate to urban centers, adding to the 2.9 million people already displaced by conflict and climate change.
Since November last year, the price of water in some of the worst affected areas has increased by up to 72%.
"Yet another perfect storm"
Catholic Relief Services is responding with emergency food aid, water and vocational training for the most vulnerable people, including those who have been displaced from their homes.
Somalia has suffered from decades of political instability and violent conflict, leaving a legacy of insecurity, poverty, marginalization and under-development.
Over two million people—nearly 15% of the population—are internally displaced who live in desperate circumstances and completely dependent on humanitarian assistance.
Nearly half of Somalia's Internally displaced people have settled in Mogadishu, Baidoa, and other cities in south-central Somalia, where CRS works with local government and communities to meet basic nutritional and sanitation needs, ensure protection of women, children and vulnerable groups, build resilience, and lay the foundation for peace among communities in conflict.
The most vulnerable displaced people, especially women and girls, face sexual violence and exploitation, while children are at risk of abduction and recruitment by armed groups such as Al-Shabaab.
"An immediate effort by the international community is needed", said Trocaire, Ireland's Caritas, whose team carried out an assessment mission in the Luuq district of Gedo, south-central Somalia, where Trocaire runs the main health facility.
The Somali NGO Consortium, of which Trocaire is a member, urges donors to act quickly to avert disaster.
Somalia is not the only country in the Horn of Africa to be severely affected by drought.
Caritas Australia has launched an appeal for the region, focusing on getting emergency supplies into the most vulnerable communities in the region.
"Many families lack access to adequate healthcare, clean water and sanitation, and when disasters strike, the steep cost of imported medical and emergency supplies puts some of the most marginalised people at risk," Caritas explained.
UNICEF has warned that up to 20 million people in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia will need food and water assistance within months as these nations experience the driest conditions in four decades.
UNICEF's Eastern and Southern African regional director, Mohamed M. Fall said the region cannot cope with "yet another perfect storm", combining COVID-19, conflict and climate change.
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