As rains fail again, catastrophic hunger looms over Somalia

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The number of Somalis facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, starvation and disease has surged by 160% due to a historic fourth consecutive failed rainy season, skyrocketing prices and an underfunded humanitarian response, UN agencies warned on Monday.

“With no end in sight for the devastating drought affecting the country, the risk of famine looms larger than ever. An urgent increase in support from the international community is essential to avert famine,” read a statement from the UN agencies.

A new report by a multi-agency assessment found that 7.1 million Somalis (close to 50 percent of the population) now face crisis-level food insecurity or worse through at least September 2022.

Of those, 213,000 Somalis are at risk of “catastrophic hunger and starvation” a drastic increase from the 81,000 forecast in April.

According to the UN agencies, more areas have been earmarked for famine, particularly in the south of the country in regions where insecurity and conflict makes humanitarian access more challenging. 

“We are staring at a potential calamity; failure to act now will be tragic for scores of families in Somalia,” said Adam Abdelmoula, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

“Famine cost the lives of 260,000 Somalis in 2010-2011.This cannot be allowed to happen again in 2022. It is urgent that more is done to avert this risk and done now,” he said.

El-Khidir Daloum, World Food Program’s Country Director in Somalia said, “we must act immediately to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. The lives of the most vulnerable are already at risk from malnutrition and hunger, and we cannot wait for a declaration of famine to act.”

As of May 2022, an estimated 1.5 million children under the age of five years face acute malnutrition through the end of the year, including 386,400 who are likely to be severely malnourished – an increase of 55,000 compared to previous estimates, said the report by the UN agencies.

With the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan currently only 18% funded, FAO’s Representative in Somalia Etienne Peterschmitt said, “the support required has not yet fully materialized, and hundreds of thousands of Somalis are at a very real risk of starvation and death.”