The Secretary General of United Nations, Mr. Guterres, recently visited Somalia while carrying out visits to different Muslim countries in Ramadan. He was accompanied by Adam Abdelmoula, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, to meet the affected Somalis in their camps.
After his visit, he mentioned how they are being neglected and are in dire need of our humanitarian support. Moreover, he stated, “Although Somalis make virtually no contribution to climate change, the Somalis are among the greatest victims. Nearly five million people are experiencing high level of food insecurity. And of course, rising prices make matters worse. So, I call on donors and I call on the international community to step up their support. ”
As per the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 8.25 million people, nearly half of Somalia’s population, requires protection assistance due to the climatic shocks that include 5 years of poor rainy season consecutively.
Among those 8.25 million people, 3.8 million are displaced internally, and around 5 million people are facing acute food insecurity at its highest. Nearly 1.8 million children are malnourished and around 8 million people do not have adequate water supply, and lacks sanitation and hygiene.
The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan requires US$2.6 billion to meet Somalia’s needs. Unfortunately, the funding meets 15% of the amount. Thus, the term – “urgent fund” the plan – is used by the UN chief to call out international community.