Mogadishu — The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued an urgent appeal for Somalia as drought, conflict, and funding gaps leave millions in dire need of food and water.
In its latest humanitarian report released on Sunday, OCHA said that cumulative crises, including severe drought, flooding, dwindling aid, and protracted conflict, have systematically undermined the resilience of millions of Somali households.
The agency estimated that severe drought conditions had affected roughly 250,000 people, with coastal and remote communities hit the hardest.
"Authorities are appealing for urgent assistance, warning that hundreds of thousands of people are facing increasing hardship.
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"This includes more than 570,000 people who require water assistance and 1.5 million who require food assistance," the OCHA said.
The UN agency said that malnutrition is rising, with over 400,730 children experiencing acute malnutrition, including 97,150 severe and 303,580 moderate cases. "Reproductive health services and emergency obstetric care remain severely limited, particularly for nomadic communities.
Drought has also disrupted education, with more than 820 schools reportedly closed, the OCHA added.
Last month, the World Food Program (WFP) warned that emergency-level hunger (IPC Phase 4) now affects two million people, a sharp twofold increase from last year's figure, indicating a significant deterioration in food insecurity.
The OCHA said the Somalia Humanitarian Fund has stepped up support to the famine-risk Buurhakaba district in the Bay region, providing 4.7 million US dollars, including a recent two-million-dollar reserve allocation.
MG/as/APA
