THT- The President has sent a call to address the drought to the United Nations, international and local agencies has said that the government is working hard to save the people of Somaliland who have been affected by the drought.
A letter he sent to the United Nations, international and local organizations read as follows;
Office of the President
REF:Date: 11/07/2022
To: UN Agencies, INGOS,’s & LNGOS
RE: Request for Drought Assistance
In a country that is still reeling from the effects of the COVID- 19, the accumulation of multiple factors — the cyclic droughts, measles outbreak, and war in Ukraine has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Somaliland.
Many parts of Somaliland are facing a critical water shortage and dry pastures. Since 2021, the country has experienced four consecutive seasons of below-average rainfall. The subsequent prolonged drought has affected the livelihood of both pastoral and agro-pastoral communities across all regions of Somaliland. The drought situation is worsening against a backdrop of recurrent climate shocks, and frequent disease outbreaks that amplify the impact of food insecurity and compromise access to clean water and good hygiene and sanitation.
A recent assessment of the prevailing drought and food security situation has been completed by the National Drought Preparedness and Food Reserve Authority (NADFOR) in collaboration with WFP (June 2022). The report illustrates that 66% of the population assessed in three livelihood zones are food insecure of which 29% are severely food insecure and 37% are moderately food insecure.
The urgent need for immediate emergency food and water assistance is concerning. The severity of drought conditions and food insecurity is greatest in Hawd, Northern Inland Pastoral, and Guban ecological zones, whilst the situation is escalating in agro-pastoral zones and therefore needs to be closely monitored. The dwindling water and pasture across the country is complicated by depleted coping mechanisms, limited livelihood strategies employed by the drought-affected communities and prevailing gaps in humanitarian response efforts.
Concurrently, the drought has impacted the nutritional status of affected communities, with malnutrition remaining high in children under 5 years, and among pregnant and lactating women. The drought has not spared livestock. A significant number of livestock have been decimated, harshly affecting the main source of livelihood for pastoral communities; the decline in meat and milk production aggravates the malnutrition situation. Inadequate food consumption follows inadequate crop production, a situation intensified by the ripple effects Of the Ukraine crisis. With the food supply chain interrupted, the country is grappling with soaring food and fuel prices. In the last year, there has been a dramatic increase in fuel prices, which translates to skyrocketing prices of commodities on the shelves. Imported food prices have reached the highest record ever. Currently, about 1.5 million people are in need of assistance. This is particularly concerning for the vulnerable populations that we know live below Sl a day.
Somaliland is experiencing the worst drought in decades, and as we feel the tremors of the intensifying crisis across the globe there are severe warnings of a looming famine. Thus, the Government of the Republic of Somaliland calls upon the donors, international partners, private sector, and friends of Somaliland, to extend assistance to people affected by the drought and amplify the humanitarian response to avert a catastrophic famine. The international global community must increase its humanitarian response to primarily provide live-saving food assistance, livestock feeding and support, health and nutritional assistance, specialized water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance, and water trucking (in the most affected locations).
The Government of Somaliland will continue to sustain its effort in saving the lives of the drought-affected people, and will also look forward to the esteemed support from humanitarian stakeholders and friends of Somaliland.
