UN agencies appeal for 864 mln USD to reach 3.9 mln Somalis

MOGADISHU, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN agencies working in Somalia on Wednesday launched humanitarian appeal, seeking 864 million U.S. dollars to reach 3.9 million people with urgent life-saving assistance.

Peter de Clercq, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia who launched the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2017 in Mogadishu, called on the international community to scaled up humanitarian response through timely support to help meet urgent humanitarian needs.

"The humanitarian situation remains grim for millions of Somalis. We are faced with a slight but steady increase in the number of people in need, and most recently with a significant risk of further deterioration to famine," de Clercq said.

The 2017 plan which is part of a three-year strategy (2016-2018) recognizes that the drivers of risk and vulnerability in Somalia are largely cyclical and long-running, and cannot be resolved in a single year.

The newly developed Plan for Somalia reflects a commitment by aid agencies to better support Somalis in addressing the extensive humanitarian needs throughout the country.

An estimated five million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and the UN says food security needs nearly double the five-year average, with an estimated 3.9 million people in need of urgent life-saving assistance.

According to the UN, about 320,000 children under the age of five years are acutely malnourished and in need of urgent nutrition support. Of these, 50,000 children are severely malnourished and far more vulnerable than any other group.

The launch of the appeal comes amid a worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia as expanding drought conditions have left hundreds of thousands of Somalis facing severe food and water shortages.

De Clercq said immediate support is required to prevent a significant deterioration of the humanitarian situation.

"Given the early warning provided by the humanitarian community and the Federal Government on the drought situation, early action is the only way to demonstrate that we have learnt the lessons from the past to avert another catastrophe," he added.

The UN said protection violations remain at the center of the humanitarian crisis in Somalia and widespread human rights violations, instability and insecurity drive displacement and weaken the resilience of the most vulnerable.

The UN said at least 1.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable people are exposed to protection risks.

Some 3.3 million people lack access to emergency health services and require improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Giving birth is one of the greatest risks to a Somali women's life. Enditem