Mogadishu, Jan 7 (IANS): The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Tuesday that it requires $254.7 million in net funding to enhance humanitarian assistance in Somalia until May, with roughly 5.98 million people forecast to need aid by then.
"The humanitarian situation remains critical due to anticipated poor rainfall, drier conditions, and persistent armed conflict," the WFP said in its humanitarian report, highlighting an urgent funding gap of $242.4 million for life-saving humanitarian relief and nutrition assistance.
The WFP said 4.4 million people in Somalia, nearly a quarter of the population, are facing acute food insecurity, while an additional 1.6 million children under five are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition from August 2024 to July 2025.
The WFP, along with other United Nations agencies, is urgently calling for additional funding to scale up humanitarian and resilience programmes to address the impacts of the anticipated drought in Somalia, which is exacerbated by funding shortfalls, unfavourable rainfall forecasts, ongoing security challenges, and rising food prices.
The WFP report noted that conflict caused 476,000 new internal displacements in 2024, representing 52 per cent of the total, with climate shocks accounting for most of the remaining displacements.
"These frequent displacements and recurring climate shocks continue to strain the coping capacities and resilience of millions of Somalis," it said.
The WFP also reported that the Deyr rains from October to December 2024, driven by La Nina conditions, were poor, with delayed onset and minimal rainfall across much of the country. As a result, significant vegetation deterioration has occurred since early October last year, and the region is expected to experience a harsh Jilaal dry season from January to March, Xinhua news agency reported.
On July 23, 2024, the WFP stated that it required $199.8 million in net funding to scale up humanitarian operations across Somalia for the next six months.
The WFP reported that the number of food-insecure people in Somalia had seen a notable decline, which was attributed to improved rainfall and sustained humanitarian assistance.
"However, despite improvements, the lingering effects of the historic drought, conflict, insecurity, macroeconomic challenges, and the devastating El Nino-induced floods continued to take a heavy toll on vulnerable communities in Somalia," the WFP said in its latest report issued in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.