EXTREME DROUGHTS IN SOUTHERN SOMALIA LEAVES 80% OF LIVESTOCK DEAD

Thu 11 November 2021:

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Somalia (OCHA) reported on Tuesday that extensive drought has ravaged villages in Jubaland’s southern state, particularly in Kismayo and Afmadow.

According to a statement from the Somalia office, communities in the area lost 80 percent of their livestock due to extensive drought and adverse weather conditions.

“Rainfall in the past 3 days provided some relief, but concerns remain over long-term effects of dry weather in Jubaland,” it said on Twitter.

A UN report in October said 7.7 million Somali women, men and children are estimated to require humanitarian assistance in 2022 due to the devastating effects of conflict, climate shocks and disease outbreaks.

“Most critical needs include health, food, water,” it said.

The Somali government Wednesday made an urgent humanitarian appeal to the international community, seeking help to battle a severe drought in most parts of the Horn of Africa country.

The call came after the government held a humanitarian conference in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday that was opened by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and attended by international partners representatives.

The humanitarian forum urged the UN agencies, international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to respond urgently to the humanitarian crisis and food insecurity in various parts of the country, government spokesman Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu said on Twitter.

In a statement issued by the office of the prime minister, the premier called on the Somali people, the international community, and aid agencies to provide immediate assistance to those affected by the drought, in order to prevent a similar famine that hit the country in 2011.

According to the United Nations, Somalia has one of the highest numbers of internally displaced persons in the world, with 2.9 million people estimated to be displaced across the country.

FILE PHOTO

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