1.4m at risk of displacement as drought bites in Somalia

GOOBJOOG NEWS/MOGADISHU: Somalia is currently treading on dangerous grounds as several lives might be lost and over a million people displaced if the current drought situation is not addressed, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Mogadishu has warned.

Currently, 245,000 Somalis have been displaced following three failed rainy seasons and some of the lowest rainfall in 40 years, with the number projected to reach 1.4 million in 2022 as the situation worsens in several parts of the country.

NRC has said that presently,  the drought has affected about 3.2 million people in Somalia, about a fifth of the population, putting them at risk of water and food insecurity, malnutrition, rising commodity prices, crop and livestock losses, and safety risks.

NRC’s humanitarian staff across the country have also reported increasing numbers of deceased livestock, malnourished children, drought-related deaths, and people searching for aid. Women, children and the elderly are hardest hit.

“Humanitarian efforts are underway, but available resources are insufficient to meet increasing and urgent needs,” NRC said in a press statement Friday.

Mohamed Abdi, Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Somalia, has called upon donors to step up and provide the much-needed support to alleviate the crisis.

“To avert the humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes, we are asking donor countries to provide the funding necessary to ensure lifesaving assistance for the millions of people affected by one of the worst droughts in the last decade. Without urgent preventative action to alleviate the crisis, lives will be lost,” said Abdi.

More than 874,000 people are currently displaced in Somalia, with drought accounting for 28 percent. With the looming crisis, drought might become the leading cause of displacement in Somalia, after conflict and insecurity which currently account for 62 percent of displacements.

Hassan Mohamud, Goobjoog News