The head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has warned Thursday that conflict and climate change are pushing millions of Somalis to the brink of hunger, as the agency is running out of funds to help them. The longest drought on record has killed millions of livestock and decimated crops. It has recently given way to disastrous flash floods in the south of the country.
“Somalia was hauled back from the abyss of famine in 2022, because the international community saw the warning signs flashing red and raced to respond,” Cindy McCain told the UN Security Council in her first briefing since taking over the agency’s leadership in April.
“But now we are in danger of losing the precious gains we have made since those dark days last year,” she said.
Last year, a famine was averted after increased international funding, led by the United States, helped scale up humanitarian assistance. But the country still suffered severely, with the UN estimating that 43,000 people died in 2022, most likely due to the drought.
The WFP projects this year that some 6.6 million Somalis will face crisis levels or worse of food insecurity, and 1.8 million children under age 5 will suffer acute malnutrition.
“This includes 40,000 people fighting for survival in famine-like conditions,” McCain said.
The country is suffering its longest drought on record. Recent rains brought floods to parts of the country. Climate shocks have wiped out crops and scores of livestock and displaced 1.7 million people from their homes.
Like most UN aid programs, the WFP is suffering a serious cash shortfall for its operations in Somalia.
“At WFP, we’re being forced to cut back on our life-saving assistance programs, just when they’re needed the most,” she said.
McCain urged Member States to immediately contribute to the humanitarian response plan for Somalia, which is seriously underfunded. The executive director of WFP said at the end of April, the agency had to reduce the number of people it assists from 4.7 million each month to 3 million, and it may have to make further cuts.
“Without an immediate cash injection, we will have to cut our distribution lists again in July, to just 1.8 million [people] per month,” she said.
“That’s almost 3 million women, children and men who will be denied the assistance they desperately need, simply because we do not have the money to feed them.”
An estimated 8.25 million people, nearly half of the population, are this year in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection in the country. Over 6.6 million people — one third of Somalia’s population —face crisis or worse levels of hunger. A total of 1.8 million children under five face acute malnutrition; 478,000 of these children face severe malnutrition and may be at risk of dying without immediate treatment.
More than 3.8 million people are now displaced in Somalia, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation. In the first months of 2023, conflict, severe drought and devastating floods have forced more than 1 million people in Somalia to flee their homes – a record rate of displacement for the country.
Yet, aid agencies have so far received only 30.5 percent of the resources required to deliver much-needed assistance this year. The Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 calls for $2.6 billion to meet the critical needs of the people living in Somalia.
Some information for this report provided by VOA.