African Church Information Service
Osman Njuguna
15 December 2003
Nairobi — Drought has hit Somalia and its impact is being felt most in the northern parts of this Horn of African country, a recently released report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) has disclosed.
"All berkads (water reservoirs) are dry and many bore-holes are inoperable. Pasture is extremely poor in almost all areas," says the report, which is an assessment of the Sool Plateau and Gebi Valley, in the Sool and Sanaag regions.
The report, made available to AANA by the UN-OCHA-Somalia Mission, says that cumulative livestock losses have decimated herds and rendered them unproductive.
Camels, which are used in this region for mobility as well as for milk supply, are particularly affected.
Herds have been reduced by about 60-70 percent, reducing the chances of survival of the nomadic pastoral populations to a critical point.
In a telephone interview with AANA after his arrival from a mission in Somalia, the head of UN-OCHA-Somalia Mission, Calum McLean, revealed that "an estimated 93,000 people are currently affected by the drought."
"Their animals are fast being wiped out, and UN agencies have already sent out food appeals," he added.
The UN official added that both the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), were already delivering humanitarian aid.
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