Aid agencies warn of looming humanitarian crisis in Somalia

More than 20 aid agencies working in Somalia on Tuesday called for urgent aid for the Horn of African nation which is facing a looming humanitarian crisis due to severe drought.

In a joint statement issued in Mogadishu ahead of a key meeting to be held in Geneva later Tuesday, the 23 agencies including Mercy Corps, World Vision, Save the Children and Tearfund warned that without adequate financial support to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Somalia, the situation can only get worse.

"Severe shortages of food and water, along with spiraling food prices and the deaths of livestock, have plunged many families into destitution. The time to act is now; to save lives and help families protect their livelihoods," the agencies said.

The ongoing El Nino of 2015-2016 has proven to be one of the worst on record with drought and excessive rainfall affecting over 60 million people worldwide.

The effects on the Horn of Africa have been particularly severe overwhelming the capacity of already vulnerable communities to survive.

Mercy Corps Somalia Country Director Abdikadir Mohamud called on the donors to act swiftly, saying they cannot wait for famine to be declared to take action.

"At this time, we can best mitigate the impact of the drought crisis on affected populations by ensuring a concerted and collective effort from all actors to avoid a repeat of the 2011 famine tragedy," Mohamud said.

"We must not only channel our efforts towards providing immediate lifesaving assistance that is urgently needed, but also see to it that the affected communities are assisted to build their resilience against future shocks," he added.

A key meeting being held in Geneva later Tuesday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) as part of its Global Call for Support and Action of El Nino.

The agencies said urgent humanitarian action is needed immediately to avert a bigger disaster as last witnessed in the 2010-2012 famine that resulted in the death of over a quarter of a million Somalis including 133,000 children under 5.

Half of these casualties were there before the famine was declared.

"We urge all stakeholders to do more to ensure a swift and urgent response that will protect lives and livelihoods whilst heeding the lessons learnt in the 2011 Horn of Africa drought," Mohamud said.

The organizations said the ongoing drought has affected hundreds of thousands in Somaliland and Puntland compounding an already challenging humanitarian situation in Somalia.

According to the agencies, all actors need to unite and come through for Somalia at this time of dire and urgent need to prevent an even larger disaster in the coming months.

"The impact of the drought can be mitigated if willing and able stakeholders channel their efforts towards ensuring everything humanly possible is done to avert the crisis," the statement said. Enditem