About 3.3 mln Somalis need urgent humanitarian aid in 2018: UN

MOGADISHU, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- About 3.3 million people will require urgent life-saving assistance in Somalia next year due to combined vulnerabilities resulting from drought-induced displacement, conflict and limited access to basic services, the UN said in a report released on Thursday.

According to Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) released by the Somalia Humanitarian Country Team, some 6.2 million people, half of the population of Somalia, will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2018.

Peter de Clercq, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, said drought and conflict have continued to be the major drivers of humanitarian needs in Somalia, with the civilian population in many parts of the country exposed to significant protection risks that threaten life, dignity and well-being on a daily basis.

"Alongside providing life-saving assistance, reducing emergency levels of acute malnutrition, reinforcing provision of resilience support; the centrality of protection will inform our response strategy for next year," Clercq said.

He called for collective Somali and international efforts to support the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan once it is launched early next year.

According to the report, the severe drought, spanning almost four consecutive poor rainy seasons, has resulted in harsh and growing humanitarian needs across Somalia. The UN said over one-third of those in need (6.2 mln) are internally displaced persons (IDPs).

This, the UN said, includes 866,000 people in emergency as of November, reflecting a sharp spike in the number of most vulnerable people, up from 83,000 people in emergency in January.

The report which identifies priority needs to support informed strategic planning and resource mobilization for the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2018, says over one million people have been displaced due to drought and conflict since January, mainly from rural areas to urban centres.

"The estimated number of displaced in Somalia is now above 2 million. With the current Deyr season (October-December) having started late and generally performing below average marks a fourth failed rainy season," the HNO said.

It warns that the long-term forecast of a below-average Gu season from April to June 2018, the prospects for relief are grim.

"The serious and persisting humanitarian situation requires a simultaneous and complementary effort to address the underlying causes to recurring crises, including food insecurity and mass displacement," says the report.

The UN report says malnutrition rates are on the rise, with the overall median prevalence of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate at 17.4 percent, significantly above the emergency threshold of 15 percent. Enditem