Food insecurity to worsen in Somalia by May 2022: United Nations

 

Mogadishu: The United Nations relief agency warned on Sunday that food insecurity is likely to worsen significantly through May 2022 in Somalia, with many households experiencing widening food consumption gaps and erosion of their coping capacity. Quoting the Somalia 2021 Post Gu Seasonal Food Security and Nutrition Assessment (FAO/FSNAU), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) stated that approximately, 3.5 million people will face acute food insecurity through December, of whom nearly 640,730 will face an emergency situation.

 

‘The delay of the October-December deyr (short) rains has also significantly affected supplementary food and income from livestock production’, UNOCHA pointed out in its latest humanitarian bulletin released on Sunday. It noted that food insecurity and acute humanitarian needs have been reported across all sectors, with more than 5.9 million people currently in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

 

According to OCHA, humanitarian agencies estimate that 7.7 million people in Somalia will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022, due to conflict in various parts of the country, recurrent climatic shocks particularly drought and floods, disease outbreaks, including Covid pandemic and rise in poverty.

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‘The widespread dry conditions have resulted in increased human suffering and livestock deaths, with severe drought impacts reported in Jubaland, Southwest and Galmudug states (central regions) and parts of Puntland. In addition to the more than 2.9 million IDPs in Somalia, at least 5.5 million people are reportedly vulnerable due to pre-existing shocks and recurring disasters and are among those who are likely to need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022′, it read. The UN body further said that 71% of Somalis will continue to live below the poverty line in 2022, especially in areas where humanitarian access remains a challenge.