Hiiraan Online
Monday, August 3, 2015
HARGEISA (HOL) ----The breakaway northern Somali region of Somaliland has warned that at least 20,000 people are facing a major food crisis as the result of a sharp decline in the annual crop productions in the region.
Abdirahman Abdullahi Ismail (Saylici), the vice president of Somaliland told reporters Monday that the combination of droughts and reduced harvest have the made the situation an emergency, appealing an immediate aid for the vulnerable households.
“This is a very serious urgent situation which requires an immediate action,” he told reporters in the Somaliland capital of Hargeisa.
He appealed concerted aid efforts by the people from the region and international aid organizations to save the lives of many in towns affected by the crisis.
Meanwhile, the national droughts commission warned that the drought have especially created hardship in the rural areas as farmers failed to produce enough food due to extremely low rain fall while failed harvests resulted in dramatic rise of food prices.
Since declaring its independence from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland has enjoyed relative stability with a central government that has seen several peaceful democratic elections and power hand over to successive governments. However, the region is not recognized internationally as a country. The region also lacks basic infrastructure to deal with emergency crisis, forcing it to rely on international aid organizations.