2.3 million people in Somalia left without water and food by drought
Rights — di Andrea Barolini
A series of consecutive rainy seasons with scarce rainfall has triggered a severe humanitarian emergency in Somalia.
2.3 million people in Somalia left without water and food by drought
A series of consecutive rainy seasons with scarce rainfall has triggered a severe humanitarian emergency in Somalia.
Large parts of Somalia are in the grip of a severe drought. The alarm has been raised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), which reports that the extreme phenomenon is affecting 57 of the country's 74 districts.
NEWS RELEASE: ‘Extremely Worrying’, Severe Drought Grips Most of Somalia as Seasonal Rains Fail a Third Time.
Somalia is now experiencing a severe drought which has already had a devastating impact on rural livelihoods in the south, says @FAO.
Read more: bit.ly/3kUAUD8
Somalia is now experiencing a severe drought which has already had a devastating impact on rural livelihoods in the south, says @FAO.
Read more: bit.ly/3kUAUD8
In Somalia, more people flee natural disasters than conflicts
The result – the UN body continues – is that "around 2.3 million people" are suffering "severe shortages of drinking water and food". Most wells have now run dry, and the situation is deteriorating rapidly "across the Horn of Africa". The problem has been caused by a series of consecutive disappointing rainy seasons: a situation that many experts say cannot but be linked to ongoing climate change as well.
To date, Ocha specifies, as many as 100,000 people have already been forced to abandon their homes and flee in search of food and sustenance, as well as areas still suitable for grazing livestock. Moreover, in recent years natural disasters have been the leading cause of migration among Somalia's population — more so even than the numerous conflicts that have struck the region, from armed gang violence to political instability. In this respect, the African nation is one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of global warming.
"All the factors for a further deterioration of the situation are in place"
According to Adam Abdelmoula, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, "all the factors" for a further and rapid deterioration of the situation are in place. "The affected people," he added, "have already been tested by decades of conflict, climate shocks and epidemics."
Khadija Diriye, Somalia's minister for humanitarian affairs and disaster management, added that "families are losing their vital livelihoods and risk starving to death in the coming months". The member of the Mogadishu government stressed that the problem is "particularly alarming for children, women, elderly people and people with disabilities".