National disaster management agency, FMS Ministers meet in Mogadishu

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) today convened the first official meeting with state ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to chart a common course in light of the deteriorating drought situation in the country.

The ministers from Jubaland, Puntland, South West, Galmudug and Hir-Shabelle converged in Mogadishu to ‘provide a platform to build stronger linkages and coordination between SoDMA and FMS.’

A joint statement from the meeting noted that the FMS Ministers welcomed the reinstatement of SoDMA and pledged their full cooperation.

“The critical levels of acute food insecurity we are witnessing today are likely to deteriorate sharply and the risk of famine remains very real,”SoDMA Commissioner warned. “Scaling up of humanitarian assistance is, therefore, urgently required to ensure we move fast before critical pre-famine phase.

The situation in Somalia continues to be precarious. The country continues to face drought spanning at least four consecutive failed rainy seasons. The current rain season has generally performing below average, marking a fourth disappointing rainy season. With the long-term forecast of a no enough rain season from September to November, the prospects for improved food production are extremely grim.

Over 7.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. More than 3 million of these need urgent life-saving assistance. Malnutrition is surging and has reached emergency levels in some locations, especially among internally displaced people. Some 400,000 children are acutely malnourished and in need of critical support. They include over 100,000, who are severely malnourished. Nearly one million people have been displaced due to drought and conflict since November 2021, mainly from rural areas to urban centres. The estimated number of displaced in Somalia is now above two million.

“The usual short-term focused interventions are not the answer to the crisis Somalia faces today and long term recovery solutions to reduce risk and vulnerability among the affected communities are urgently required,” said Minister Arush of South West State on behalf fellow ministers. We as governmental humanitarian actors appeal to all Somalis locally, and the diaspora to support their fellow citizens in this critical time. Please act now before its too late.

The meeting also agreed for continued discussions and resource mobilization efforts by the FGS and international partners as ‘ we are determined to tackle the current humanitarian needs, while simultaneously looking longer-term.”

A National Country Humanitarian Forum bringing together the Federal Government and FMS line ministries, humanitarian actors and the international community will take place in October.