31 March 2016•Update: 12 April 2016
By Magdalene Mukami
NAIROBI, Kenya
Over 385,000 people are facing acute food insecurity in Somalia, Peter de Clercq, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, said at a press conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
Most of the affected are in the northern part of Somalia where a severe drought has been aggravated by El Nino weather conditions in East Africa.
“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. Communities are already losing their means of survival,” Peter de Clercq said on Thursday.
“The time to fund is now to come back from the tipping point, avoid a greater crisis and avert loss of lives and save livelihoods,” de Clercq added.
The UN Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) had earlier this year requested for $885 million to help deal with food insecurity problems in Somalia.
The UN said that out of the $885 million requested, only 11 percent had been received to date which represents roughly $97 million.
