Somalia seeks global help against deadly drought

MOGADISHU, Somalia

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.

Somalia suffered a deadly famine in 2011 that killed nearly 260,000 people, half of them children, and displaced millions of families.

On Tuesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Somalia said that widespread drought has devastated communities in the southern state of Jubaland, especially in Kismayo and Afmadow.

Communities in the area lost 80% of livestock due to widespread drought and extreme weather conditions.

According to the UN, 7.7 million Somalians require humanitarian assistance in 2022.