Between April and June this year, at least 6 million Somalis are likely to face a food crisis or worsening food insecurity.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated in a press conference that a humanitarian response plan was required.
“As of April 7, the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, which calls for nearly 1.5 billion dollars to help 5.5 million Somali men, women, and children, remained significantly underfunded, with only 4.4 percent funded.”
The drought is getting worse all over the country. In Somalia, an estimated 4.9 million people have been affected, with more than 719,000 people internally displaced. Since the beginning of the year, acute food insecurity has increased significantly,” he said.
According to Dujarric, livestock deaths and disease outbreaks are common, while up to 80% of the country’s water sources are drying up, and the Shabelle and Juba Rivers’ water levels are below historic levels.
The current famine is taking place in the midst of one of the worst La Nina-induced droughts in history.