Somali Magazine -The UK ambassador to Somalia has warned that “unimaginable loss of life and misery” will occur in the Horn of Africa in the upcoming months.
The world’s largest humanitarian crisis has hit the region hard as a result of the worst drought in more than 40 years, which has left 48 million people suffering from severe food insecurity.
More than a million people have now been compelled to flee their homes, and 700,000 people in Somalia alone are already in danger of starvation.
However, there are growing worries that the situation is going to get worse come October as a result of predictions for a fifth failed rainy season.
Kate Foster, the UK ambassador to Somalia, told reporters that the problem had been escalating over the previous four years. “In practise, that implies fewer crops, livestock in worse shape, and a deterioration in people’s capacity for resilience over time.
“That resiliency is at an all-time low right now,” she continued. “Uncomfortably, future predictions currently predict a fifth unsuccessful wet season… Without a continuous and major scale-up of activities, we might witness unspeakable loss of life and misery in the upcoming months.
“Heart breaking” circumstance
As part of a larger £36 million commitment to address the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, Ms. Foster was appearing at a briefing by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to announce £14 million in financing to address the food crisis in East Africa.
Vicky Ford, the minister for Africa, said the $14.6 million was a portion of a pledge to deliver $156 million this fiscal year to help humanitarian needs around the Horn of Africa.
With Friday’s statement focusing on averting famine through food relief, health, and nutrition programmes in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan, the most recent financing brings the total amount spent to £76 million.