MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – The United States has said it provided more than $433 million to the Federal Government of Somalia on humanitarian assistance last year becoming the most significant donor.
“The United States is the single largest donor responding to Somalia humanitarian and protection crises, providing more than $433 million in humanitarian assistance in Fiscal Year 2018,” a statement from the US embassy in Mogadishu said on Monday.
US Ambassador to Somalia Donald Y. Yamamoto held a roundtable discussion with organizations that work with the people and government of Somalia to overcome humanitarian crises a day after annual reports said the funds for Somalia’s humanitarian assistance have significantly dropped by 18% amid the severe water and food shortages experienced in the country.
Representatives from the UN World Food Program, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, UNICEF, Mercy Corps, International Medical Corps, UNHCR, and IOM were present during the meeting.
Washington said it will prioritize emergency response needs this year while urging the humanitarian organizations to focus more on sustaining assistance to the most vulnerable.
“We encourage contributions from donors to ensure Somalia continues to improve humanitarian conditions and build resilience, ” US embassy said.
UN Development Program (UNDP) report warned that the food security situation in Somalia “remains precarious for millions of Somalis, following the fifth consecutive year of drought.”
According to The Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF), an estimated 6.2 million people need humanitarian assistance, and the number of people living in pre-famine emergency conditions has increased from 80,000 people in January to 800,000 in December this year.
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