Somalia, UN Call for Swift Action to Avert Looming Drought

MOGADISHU, Xinhua: Somalia and the United Nations agencies have called for urgent measures to help communities prepare for and adapt to the anticipated reduced rainfall season in the country.

The Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that early action can significantly reduce the human and economic costs of drought, potentially saving lives and livelihoods. 

Etienne Peterschmitt, FAO representative in Somalia, said investing in preparedness is not only cost-effective but also essential for safeguarding lives. “We urge the international community to support this critical initiative, ensuring that Somali communities are resilient and better equipped to face future challenges,” Peterschmitt said in a joint statement released on Tuesday evening.

This call to action coincided with the launch of a 30-million-U.S. dollar plan aimed at protecting vulnerable communities from the expected impacts of drought. The plan focuses on early interventions to alleviate the effects of drought, thereby reducing the need for large-scale humanitarian assistance in the future.

The initiative responds to forecasts from the FAO’s Somalia Water and Land Information Management Project, which indicates a 70 percent probability of La Nina conditions, typically associated with below-average rainfall and higher temperatures across Somalia. 

According to SoDMA, this initiative prioritizes timely action to save lives and protect livelihoods, especially given the severe drought conditions expected to follow the devastating floods of late 2023. 

The urgency of anticipatory action is underscored by experiences, such as the delayed response during the 2021-2022 drought, which resulted in the displacement of 1.4 million people and 43,000 deaths. 

SoDMA Commissioner Mahamuud Moallim noted that this initiative marks a critical shift from reactive to proactive disaster management. “Anticipatory action can significantly reduce the human and economic costs associated with drought, potentially saving lives and livelihoods,” Moallim said. 

UNICEF Representative in Somalia Wafaa Saeed expressed concern over the predicted below-average rainfall, highlighting its potential negative impact on communities still recovering from previous droughts and floods. “By joining hands with SoDMA and FAO now, we are taking early and preparatory action to mitigate suffering before the crisis fully unfolds,” Saeed said. 

According to UN projections, the likelihood of below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures could lead to severe soil moisture loss, resulting in poor crop and fodder productivity and worsening food insecurity across vulnerable communities.