The Somali government has appealed to the international community for humanitarian assistance, claiming that the catastrophic drought that has ravaged numerous sections of the country has harmed 6.9 million people.
Prime Minister Mohamed Roble released a message Monday evening in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, urging donors to speed up supplies as the drought worsens.
Roble, who met with donors on Monday, said the drought had affected about 6.9 million people and more than 9.5 million animals, with 2.6 million people experiencing acute water shortages.
“The drought is the worst in the country since the 2011 famine. Three consecutive rainy seasons have failed, resulting in animal and agricultural loss “Roble urged the international community to join the continuing emergency assistance to the country’s drought-affected population. “Various nations and organizations have responded to our pleas for assistance by sending aid to the worst-affected sections of the country.”
“I implore you to come to the help of Somalis who are suffering from drought in order to avert famine, which would result in mass fatalities and a tough humanitarian crisis to cope with,” Roble added.
The request comes as the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the drought situation is projected to worsen as the rainy season approaches in April, citing an increase in cases of measles and severe watery diarrhoea/cholera.
Additional financing for key sectors is urgently needed, according to OCHA, and local communities, authorities, and humanitarian partners are continuing to scale up support within available resources.