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Somalia: Drought Response and Famine Prevention (18-29 September 2022)[EN/AR/SO]

Pays
Somalie
Sources
OCHA
Date de publication

KEY FIGURES

7.8M People affected by drought

1.8M Children under 5 likely to face acute malnutrition from July 2022 to June 2023

6.7M People expected to be acutely food-insecure from October to December 2022

5.7M People reached with assistance in 2022

$1.46B Total requirements

71% progress

$1.03B Received

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

Since November 2021, when Somalia declared a drought emergency, the number of people affected has more than tripled to 7.8 million; more than a million are displaced. At least 41 per cent of the population is expected to face acute food insecurity through December, with parts of southern and central Somalia projected to be in famine between October and December 2022 if assistance is not scaled up and sustained. Some 6.4 million people lack access to safe water and sanitation, elevating the risk of cholera and measles, especially in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs).

  • Rising displacement is driving IDP site population growth. August saw drought displace almost 98,900 people, an 18 per cent increase from July. More than 43,800 people from 7,300 households arrived at 234 IDP sites in 23 districts during the week of 15 September, 64 per cent more than the week before. Newer IDP sites are seeing increased reports of gender-based violence (GBV). Partners note that about 40 per cent of families arriving to IDP sites in Waajid, Ceelbarde, Xuddur, Diinsoor and Baardheere are members of minority clans.

  • Malnutrition in Hirshabelle on the rise. Nutrition centres in Jowhar report a sharp increase in admissions for malnutrition cases in the past two months. Post-Gu Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit - Somalia (FSNAU) assessments cite a severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rate of 4.5 per cent in agropastoral communities, an alarming figure related to soaring food prices and limited access to health and nutrition services. Reports from Belet Weyne indicate nearly 700 SAM cases in August, almost double the 381 cases reported in June.

  • The scale, scope and severity of needs is outpacing response. While donors continue to make generous contributions to the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, the financial requirements and targets are being revised to reflect higher needs; an urgent infusion of funds and timely financing are needed to address rapidly deteriorating conditions expected during the October-December 2022 rainy season - which is forecast to fail - and then in the peak lean season in early 2023. Even if famine is averted, rising death rates in many areas of Somalia, the large size of the affected population and the likely duration of the crisis could lead to cumulative levels of excess mortality as high as in 2011.

  • The crushing effects of increasingly frequent droughts and other climate shocks have placed Somalia on the frontline of the global climate emergency. With forecasts of a fifth consecutive failed rainy season and long-range projections indicating elevated chances of a potential sixth failed rainy season hanging over Somalia’s most vulnerable communities, immediate life-saving assistance must be accompanied by investment in livelihoods, infrastructure development, climate adaptation and resilience.

  • As of August, the Government and partners have reached 5.7 million drought-affected people in 2022, more than double the number of people reached through April. Partners continue to race against time to further scale up and adapt the response to deliver assistance to those most in need. These efforts have resulted in a significant increase in people assisted, a push that has allowed partners to reach 3 out of every 4 people targeted. But needs continue to grow.

  • On 21 September, the United States announced a US$151 million allocation for Somalia, $146.5 million of which is destined for food assistance. The allocation will support the provision of emergency food assistance for 3.6 million people for another two and a half months.

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