Hiiraan Online
Wednesday October 2, 2019
MOGADISHU (HOL) - The US government has announced $257 million additional humanitarian assistance for Somalia and Somali refugees in neighbouring countries.
The U.S Aid deputy assistant administrator Diana Putman said in a statement the funds for the financial year 2019 will address life-threatening hunger and acute malnutrition and provide safe water, emergency health care, education, and protection to people affected by ongoing conflict and recurrent drought inside Somalia and to Somali refugees in neighboring countries.
Somalia recently experienced its worst harvest in 25 years, and up to 2.1 million people could face life-threatening hunger by December, according to the latest estimates.
Additionally, approximately 2.6 million people - or one in five Somalis - are internally displaced, while more than 730,000 are seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
The U.S, the statement added, encourages other donors to increase their contributions to address Somalia’s critical humanitarian needs and to help the most vulnerable Somalis build resilience to withstand future shocks.
The United States remains concerned about the ongoing crisis in Somalia and the lack of sufficient humanitarian funds to address it, USAID said. “The United States is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to the Somali people, providing nearly $498 million in FY 2019.”
Large-scale assistance is urgent to prevent conditions from worsening. The UN estimates that an additional $500 million in humanitarian funding is needed through December 2019.