The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has appealed for additional funding to sustain humanitarian response beyond March in Somalia, which is ravaged by devastating drought.
Magatte Guisse, humanitarian coordinator for Somalia ad interim, said available funding levels can only sustain current level of humanitarian response interventions through March.
“Famine has been averted for the time being, but needs remain high and urgent, with more than a third of the country’s population facing acute food insecurity and almost half the population in need of humanitarian and protection assistance,” Guisse said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Tuesday evening.
According to the UN, Somalia is witnessing a five-year historic dry spell — a situation not seen in more than 40 years — and an expected sixth failed rainy season is bound to displace many more families, as famine looms on the horizon.
The statement came after the release of the latest multi-partner post-deyr Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis results which warns that the humanitarian situation in Somalia remains extremely dire and even more appalling outcomes are only temporarily averted.
The report says despite the ongoing delivery of humanitarian food assistance, levels of acute food insecurity across Somalia remain high, with an estimated 5 million people experiencing crisis or worse outcomes between January and March, including 96,000 people facing catastrophic hunger.
“We are grateful to our donors, whose generous support enabled us to reach 7.3 million people with humanitarian assistance in 2022. I urge donors to continue to stand with the people of Somalia at this time of unprecedented and devastating drought and provide additional funding to maintain the lifesaving response beyond March,” Guisse said.
According to the UN, food assistance scaled up significantly in 2022, from reaching an average of 2 million people per month between January and March 2022 to reaching an average of 5.4 million people per month between October and December 2022.
It said the humanitarian assistance delivery is expected to reduce significantly between April and June based on current funding levels.
This, the UN agency said, coupled with the anticipated impact of a likely below-average rainfall between April to June, the number of people facing crisis or worse acute food insecurity outcomes is projected to increase to about 6.5 million people across Somalia between April to June. Xinhua