More than 2 million people in Somalia face food crisis: UN

Drought and a rain deficit are pushing more than 2.73 million people in Somalia toward the crisis level of acute food insecurity, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.

In a report, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) showed the annual rains of early spring, considering March to May as a planting season, mainly below average.

"Approximately 2.73 Mn to 2.83 Mn people across Somalia are expected to face a crisis or worse outcomes between April and September 2021, reflecting the deteriorating food security situation in the country," OCHA pointed out.

On April 25, the Somalian government with the UN have jointly declared a drought with moderate to severe drought conditions taking over more than 80 per cent of the country. Major international bodies, including Famine Early Warnings Systems Network and the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies, warned of a worsened situation if the weather situation does not change from May down to September. In some regions of Somalia, seasonal Gu rainfalls triggered flash floods that affected 400,000 people, of whom 101,300 were displaced.

Several humanitarian agencies send aid such as distribution of water, cash and food supplies to areas with dire needs, OCHA said. However, the climate shift along with a wide gap in relief funding has resulted in decades of conflict and insecurity in Somalia.

The initiated Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan 2021 entails $1.09 Bn to support 4 Mn people but currently lacks 80 per cent of the expected funding.