Wednesday April 26, 2023
The file photo shows displaced persons waiting for food distribution from a local NGO in Baidoa District, Somalia, on Jan. 20, 2023. (Photo by Abdi/Xinhua)
Nearly 6.6 million people in Somalia still face a humanitarian crisis or worse acute food insecurity outcomes despite relative improvement in rainfall forecast and decline in food prices, according to a UN-backed report.
MOGADISHU, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 6.6 million people in Somalia still face a humanitarian crisis or worse acute food insecurity outcomes despite relative improvement in rainfall forecast and decline in food prices, the United Nations-backed report released Tuesday showed.
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said levels of acute food insecurity remain very high in Somalia through at least June, with 39 percent of the total population in need of urgent humanitarian assistance despite the decline in the risk of famine over the same period.
"Sharply rising food prices since mid-2021 have been one of the key drivers of worsening acute food insecurity in most parts of Somalia," said the IPC, which is an analysis by the UN agencies and other partners.
According to the IPC, the previously estimated total burden of acute malnutrition among children under five years of age remains valid, with approximately 1.8 million children expected to be acutely malnourished in Somalia from January to December 2023, including 477,700 who are projected to be severely malnourished.
"To prevent worsening of food insecurity and nutrition outcomes, additional coordinated funding is urgently needed for scaling up and sustaining high levels of multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance that includes food security, nutrition, health, and WASH interventions through at least June 2023, and likely through late 2023," it said.
The file photo shows a Somali mother holding her malnourished child at Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Jan. 21, 2023. (Photo by Hassan Bashi/Xinhua)
According to the IPC, improved humanitarian access and coverage in areas affected by insecurity and conflict is also essential to reach populations in greatest need.
"Providing timely support to poor farmers to take advantage of the ongoing Gu season rainfall is recommended," said the report, adding that in addition to scaled-up and sustained humanitarian assistance, complementary recovery and development assistance are required to address the underlying cause of acute food insecurity and malnutrition and rebuild livelihood.
Aerial photo, taken on Feb. 5, 2023, shows makeshift houses of the Sirmaqabe IDP camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. (Photo by Hassan Bashi/Xinhua)
An updated forecast for the April to June Gu season points to a relatively better seasonal rainfall than previously anticipated across most parts of Somalia.
The IPC report, however, said floods due to heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers in March have also been reported in Gedo and other regions in southern Somalia, killing scores of people, displacing tens of thousands, and destroying property. It warned of an increased risk of flooding if heavy rains continue in Somalia and in the upper catchments of the Shabelle and Juba rivers in southeastern Ethiopia.