Aller au contenu principal

Somalia Humanitarian Bulletin, June 2021

Pays
Somalie
Sources
OCHA
Date de publication

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The current funding to respond to humanitarian needs in Somalia is the worst in six years. At mid-year, partners can barely meet the basic needs of nearly half of Somalia’s total population.

  • Poor 2021 Gu’ rains are likely to lead to a low crop harvest in July/August and a rapid deterioration of vegetation. With no rains expected until October, reports indicate that moderate to severe drought conditions may occur from July to September.

  • More than 523,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Somalia since January; 347,000 (66 per cent) due to conflict/insecurity including close to 207,000 people in Mogadishu who were temporarily displaced by elections-related violence in April.

  • Since 12 June, the humanitarian community has been utilizing a UNHAS air caravan for joint assessment and monitoring missions. Five missions have been conducted involving clusters, UN agencies, INGOs and government authorities to Gaalkacyo, Dhuusamarreeb, Hudur, Cabudwaaq and Berdale.

KEY FIGURES

5.9M People in need of humanitarian and protection assistance.

2.9M People displaced by conflict and natural disasters across the country.

523K People displaced by conflict in the country since January 2021.

2.8M People projected to face acute food insecurity by September 2021.

14.9K Cases of COVID-19 reported since March 2020.

146.8K People who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

WORST HUMANITARIAN FUNDING IN SIX YEARS

Partners can barely meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable

Half-way through 2021, nearly half of all the 12.3 million Somali children, women and men are at risk of losing access to some or all of the life-saving and protection services they desperately need due to funding shortages. As of 11 July, the 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan is only 26 per cent funded with US$281.5 million provided out of $1.09 billion required. “Humanitarian needs have increased significantly in 2021 but the funding to respond to these needs is the worst in six years,” Mr. Adam Abdelmoula, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia said in a 28 June statement. “Humanitarian partners can barely meet the basic needs of hungry families, desperate communities and displaced women and children.”

This year, an estimated 5.9 million people need humanitarian assistance in Somalia, of whom 2.9 million people are displaced from their homes. The humanitarian situation has been worsened by a recent double climate disaster - drought in two thirds of the country and flooding in other areas - and the impact of political tensions, COVID-19 and the worst desert locust infestation in years. With the current funding, partners cannot fully address the high needs across Somalia, especially in underfunded sectors such as education, shelter and coordination for displaced persons’ camps which have received just four per cent of the funding needed. According to a report by FEWSNET and FSNAU, the underfunding of food assistance plans has resulted in a 25 percent decline in beneficiaries since January. While an average of 1.52 million people received food assistance monthly from March to May, the current and anticipated levels of food assistance are inadequate to prevent Crisis (IPC Phase 3) in many areas. The funding shortfall is of urgent concern, as past trends show the severity of food insecurity in Somalia can rapidly worsen during multi-season droughts and could lead to extreme food insecurity in the worst-case scenario of rainfall failure, hence the need to scale up food, water and livelihoods support to prevent a crisis.

Without additional funding, three million people will not have access to essential health care services, 1.2 million people will face acute water shortage by end of July in 20 districts, and 250,000 children will face potentially life-threatening malnutrition. Only 1.7 million people will receive food assistance while one million with acute food needs will miss out from a target of four million people. In Banadir region, over 50 schools for displaced children will close permanently in August 2021, meaning that more than 12,000 children will miss an education. In view of limited funding, inter-cluster partners are identifying critical activities and immediate requirements to inform reprioritization. Three-month implementation plans focusing on lifesaving/first line responses and with a clear overview of what can or cannot be done, are being reviewed. In addition, resource mobilization activities are being scaled up including collective advocacy and outreach by clusters, agencies and NGOs. “We rely on the generosity of our donors to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable Somalis are addressed,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator in his statement. “I implore donors to stand with families in Somalia and avert a disaster by fully funding the humanitarian response.”

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.