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Aid agencies seek 105 mln USD to help drought-hit Somalis

Xinhua, March 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Humanitarian agencies working in Somalia on Thursday launched a humanitarian appeal, seeking 105 million U.S. dollars to save lives of more than one million Somalis in drought-affected areas.

The appeal, dubbed a Call for Aid, will enable aid agencies to increase critical, life-saving assistance and build resilience for Somalis in the drought-affected northern regions of the country.

"We have reached a critical point in Puntland and Somaliland. Urgent action is required right now. If not, we risk a rapid and deep deterioration of the situation, as drought conditions may worsen in the coming months," Peter de Clercq, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia told journalists in Nairobi.

Clercq warned that communities are already losing their means of survival due to severe drought conditions which have taken a toll on lives and livelihoods.

The Call for Aid covers the six-month period from April to September and builds on the 2016 Humanitarian Response Program and the 2015 Contingency Plan for El Niño in Somalia.

The agencies said the severe drought, exacerbated by El Nino conditions, which is ravaging parts of Puntland and Somaliland, has compounded an already challenging humanitarian situation.

An estimated 1.7 million people, or nearly 40 percent of the 4.6 million people living in these areas, are in need of humanitarian assistance and livelihood support.

Of these, 1.3 million people are at risk of slipping into acute food insecurity if they do not receive assistance. Nearly 385,000 people already face acute food insecurity.

Clercq said lack of funding is hampering progress for some 95 national and international humanitarian organizations currently working in Puntland and Somaliland.

If funding is not secured now, the consequences will be grave, especially in light of a less than favourable forecast for the coming Gu rainy season, the primary cropping season.

Malnutrition-related deaths have been reported in Awdal region. Loss of livestock due to poor pasture and water availability is negatively impacting family income and causing a sharp rise in indebtedness.

Without access to emergency health services, water and sanitation, thousands of people could face death due to preventable causes.

Funding levels are particularly low for critical, life-saving clusters such as food security, nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene.

Of the 885 million dollars requested in the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan, only 97 million dollars or 11 per cent has been received so far.

The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will release 11 million to provide urgent humanitarian assistance for 224,000 drought-affected people in the northern parts of Somalia.

The Somalia Humanitarian Fund has also allocated 6.5 million dollars to compliment the CERF allocation. Endit