Somalia's PM declares state emergency following ravaging drought

Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has declared a state of emergency in the country following the ravaging drought, which has put to risk the lives of close to 2.5 million people.

In his address on Tuesday to the Cabinet, Roble, who has been at loggerheads with outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, appealed for local and international response, adding that a number of lives have already been lost.

Most parts of Gedo in Jubaland are affected according to the United Nations, which also notes that the drought could trigger famine in the Horn of Africa nation. UN has appealed for $4 million to manage the situation in Somalia.

“Our country is in a state of humanitarian emergency. I call upon all Somalis, business people, religious leaders, the diaspora, and the international community to make concerted efforts to significantly contribute to mitigating the suffering of those affected by the drought,” he said.

Adam Abdelmoula, who is the UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, sounded the alarm bells noting the situation was fast slipping out of hand while calling for swift action.

“We must act now to prevent a slide into the crippling kind of drought and even famine conditions experienced in previous years,” the UN official said.

UN OCHA said about 2.6 million people – close to 22% of the population are affected by drought and nearly 113,000 people are displaced due to drought across the country.

A number of animals have died due to lack of water in the country while at least 10 people have died in Gedo. Jubaland President Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe recently appealed for international help.

The Somali government and UN said last week the number of people who need assistance and protection in Somalia is forecast to rise by 30 percent from 5.9 million to about 7.7 million in 2022. The country has failed to receive rains on the last three occasions.

GAROWE ONLINE