Somalia’s Worsening Drought Affects 2.3 million people: UN
Somalia’s drought has left more than two million people suffering from severe food and water shortages.
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100,000 people fled their homes in search of food, water, and pasture for their livestock
The UN has sounded the alarm on Somalia’s “rapidly worsening” drought, leaving more than two million people facing severe food and water shortages.
So far, nearly 100,000 people, especially in central and southern areas, have abandoned their homes in search of food, water, and pasture for their livestock.
However, the lack of access to safe water and sanitation has heightened the risk of water-borne diseases.
The Horn of Africa is now “on the verge of a fourth consecutive failed rainfall season”, according to a joint statement by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Somali government.
“About 2.3 million people in 57 of 74 districts – nearly 20 per cent of the population in the affected districts – are ravaged by serious water, food and pasture shortages as water pans and boreholes have dried up,” the statement said.
The statement also pointed out that climate change was one of the main drivers for the drought, with more than 80% of Somalia expected to be experiencing severe drought conditions.
Somalia is on the frontline of climate change and has experienced more than 30 climate-related hazards since 1990, including 12 droughts and 19 floods.
The Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Khadija Diriye, said that families are losing their livestock, a key source of livelihood, and may starve to death in the coming months.
“I am particularly worried about children, women, the elderly and disabled people who continue to bear the brunt of Somalia’s humanitarian crisis”, she said.
