UN provides Sh2.5bn for drought response in Somalia

The United Nations humanitarian agency has released $25 million (over Sh2.5 billion) for providing immediate assistance to communities hard-hit by drought in Somalia.

Mr Adam Abdelmoula, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, on Thursday said the cash from Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) would be used to supply relief food and water in remote areas of Jubbaland and Puntland.

The allocation, he said, complements the $17 million that was recently provided from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to meet the immediate needs of communities affected by drought. 

"Substantial and early funding for response activities, including the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, is critical to prevent further suffering and save lives," he said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

The UN estimates that more than 4.3 million people are in dire need of food and water, with over 500,000 displaced by the looming catastrophe in the Horn of Africa nation. 

Mr Abdelmoul said their responses would be focused on underserved and hard-to-reach areas at a time when recurring shocks have deepened poverty levels, compounded pre-existing vulnerabilities and stripped communities of livelihoods. 

The relief interventions, the official said, would take the integrated multi-cluster approach that prioritises key lifesaving activities for people most affected by the drought.

Somalia, which is on the frontline of climate change, has been heavily impacted by the severe drought that is sweeping across the Horn of Africa, the UN said. 

"With the next rainy season not expected until April 2022, scores of people in these areas are staring at a potential catastrophe," the UN said.