Mogadishu, Dec 15 (IANS): The U.N. for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Sunday that it requires 1.42 billion U.S. dollars in 2025 to ramp up humanitarian operations in Somalia, where 5.98 million people are in need of assistance.

The OCHA, which launched the Somalia 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), said the plan advocates for scaled-up development and climate financing to address the structural drivers of needs, build resilience, reduce the risk of future disasters and adapt to climate change.

The OCHA said HNRP focuses on assistance for people with the most severe levels of needs, and 4.6 million people will be targeted for assistance.

"The 2025 HNRP outlines key risks for 2025 as drought and conflict. Drier conditions will increase competition over resources, strain coping mechanisms, and heighten risks for disease outbreaks," it said.

According to the UN agency, conflict accounted for 53 per cent of a total of 455,000 newly displaced people, while climate shocks accounted for the vast majority of displacements in 2023 and 2022.

For the first time in years, conflict-generated insecurity was the leading cause or accounted for 53 per cent of internal displacement, as inter-clan fighting escalated in the Mudug and Gedo regions of southern Somalia.

However, the OCHA said the increased frequency of cyclical droughts and floods strains the coping capacities and resilience of millions of Somalis, adding that below-average Deyr rains (October-December) and essential for crop production raise alarm for drought and humanitarian needs in 2025.