Mogadishu(SONNA)-Jubaland State on Wednesday extended humanitarian assistance to some people who fled from the areas severely hit by the current drought in the country by distributing necessary food items in Kismayo town, SONNA reported.
The regions’ committee for the drought issues distributed food to 3,700 families at Luglow outside Kismayo today, the families lost everything they had in life mainly livestock in the drought and they’re now settling at Internally Displaced People’s camps (IDPs) there.
An estimated 4.3 million people have been affected by the severe drought which is ravaging several parts of Somalia, up from 3.2 million a month ago, the United Nations humanitarian agency said on Monday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said the escalating drought has seen some 271,000 have abandoned their homes in search of water, food and pasture. “With the next rainy season not expected until April 2022, Somalia is staring at a potential catastrophe,” UNOCHA warned in its latest drought response released in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
It said the UN Central Emergency Response Fund has allocated 25 million U.S. dollars for the drought response and the Somalia Humanitarian Fund has complemented this funding with an allocation of 6 million dollars; a second allocation is underway.
Source: SONNA/ Agencies
