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Add to Preferred SourcesSomalia is facing a prolonged drought that has left 6.7 million people—more than half of the population—in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
Drought conditions are deepening following poor and below-normal Gu (monsoon) rains, which started late April and ended in early May instead of June in most parts of the country. Cereal production across Somalia is expected to be 40 to 50 per cent below normal, and there is now an elevated risk of famine.
An Ethiopian woman in the Haar-Haar IDP settlement explains what motivated her displacement to Somalia. UNHCR reports that women and children represent 84 per cent of the drought-displaced population since November 2016.
The use of cash-based assistance continues to be central to the famine-prevention strategy in Somalia, building on the lessons learned from the famine response in 2011. Giving cash or vouchers to the most vulnerable people, as opposed to providing aid in kind, has enabled drought-affected families to decide how to meet their most pressing needs, while supporting local markets. In Somalia, these markets are highly resilient, supported by complex supply networks. This, in turn, has helped to sustain the local economy.
Original source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Posted on 22 August 2017.