MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said famine is killing tens of thousands of people in Somalia, urging international donors to support Somalia in its hour of need.
In a statement, NRC said it was already too late for hundreds of thousands caught in this catastrophe in Somalia.
“Between January and October, Somalia has had 1.7 million people displaced by drought and conflict. Lethal hunger has been allowed to spread like wildfire. When Somalia experienced famine in 2011, and more than 250,000 people died, the international community pledged ‘never again’. Yet we find ourselves once again facing catastrophe,” the NRC’s Country Director in Somalia, Mohamed Abdi. “We are now in a race against time to assist millions more people whose lives have been devastated by the effects of, drought, climate change and rising food prices. We need to reach communities immediately with lifesaving aid. International donors need to step up funding for Somalia to prevent more from dying away from the world’s gaze.”
Late last months, the World Food Programme said it requires 416 million U.S. dollars for the next six months to prevent famine in Somalia.
WFP said the funds, required between November and April 2023, include a 356-million-dollar shortfall for life-saving relief food and nutrition assistance.
The agency noted that a new food and nutrition security assessment in areas projected to face or be at risk of famine is currently underway across the country, adding that the humanitarian food assistance provided by WFP and humanitarian partners has staved off the worst outcomes so far, but sustained assistance is critical in the coming months.
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