At a news conference in Mogadishu, Somalia’s special envoy for humanitarian issues said on Monday that a record drought has affected more than six million Somalians.
Abdurrahman Abdisakur Warsameh said the number of victims was approaching half of Somalia’s population.
Warsameh said the drought has affected 72 of Somalia’s 84 districts and six of them are already facing famine-like situations with extreme food insecurity.
He says our people have started dying now. Deaths have started, some areas are facing famine and drought is turning into famine. Warsameh says that the Somalis at home and abroad should help us take some responsibility.
The special envoy did not give a figure for how many Somalians died of hunger, but appealed for assistance to reach those in need.
Warsameh said the current drought, the worst in forty years, has displaced some 700,000 Somalis from rural areas and forced them to seek help in nearby towns.
He said the United Nations and aid agencies had requested $1.4 billion for drought relief, but so far only $58 million has been received.
Warsameh said international aid was focused more on the COVID pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine and the crisis in Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen.
The humanitarian envoy also said that due to Somalia’s focus on politics and delayed elections last year, humanitarian needs were not given much attention.
International aid agencies warned on Monday that there was a growing threat of starvation in Somalia and neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Kenya.
According to meteorologists and humanitarian groups, which include UN agencies, the Horn of Africa region is facing a record fifth rainy season without enough rain.
This article is republished from – Voa News – Read the – original article.
