UN: Severe drought displaces over 1m Somalis

Ali Abdullahi Mohamed, a severely malnourished 27-month-old boy, is examined by a nurse for treatment in Banadir Maternity and Children Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia on June 1, 2022. Four consecutive seasons of poor rains have left millions of drought-stricken people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia facing starvation. (ED RAM / AFP)

MOGADISHU – The number of drought-related displacements has surpassed one million to hit 1,002,796 people in Somalia since January 2021, the United Nations humanitarian agency said on Tuesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on June 24 appealed for US$993.3 million to provide live-saving and life-sustaining assistance to prevent famine and respond to the drought in Somalia by December

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said some 83,518 people were displaced in July by drought, a 26 percent decrease compared to the previous month.

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The UN agency on June 24 appealed for US$993.3 million to provide live-saving and life-sustaining assistance to prevent famine and respond to the drought in Somalia by December.

The OCHA said the impact of the drought and increasing economic pressures are deepening the severity of needs and driving the country to the brink of famine.