Somalia Drought Causing Catastrophic Emergency - UN

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia warned on Tuesday the country is undergoing a "catastrophic emergency" due to the most severe drought in the nation's history.

​Adam Abdelmoula, speaking at a joint meeting of the League of Arab States and the United Nations, said Somalia was suffering from its fifth consecutive failed rainy season, with a sixth predicted for next year.

He described the situation, which has affected nearly half of Somalia's population.

"As we gather here today, approximately 7.8 million Somalis, and that is nearly half of its population, have been affected by the drought and nearly 1.3 million people have been displaced since January 2021," he said.

He added that 6.7 million people are expected to face high levels of "acute food insecurity".

A rare famine declaration could be made soon, the first significant one anywhere in the world since Somalia’s famine a decade ago.

As the world grapples with food insecurity, Somalia, a country of 15 million people emerging from its failed state past, may be considered the tipping point.

The proud pastoralist nation that has survived generations of drought now stumbles as several global crises descend at the same time.