A total of 4.1 million people are projected to suffer acute food insecurity due to the triple effects of COVID-19, desert locusts and climatic shocks.
A report released by the United Nations agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that the food crisis in Somalia is going to worsen until mid this year unless large scale humanitarian assistance is availed to the strife Horn of African nation.
“Somalia’s long-standing crises are compounded now by the ‘triple threat’ of the COVID-19 pandemic, desert locust infestations and climatic shocks,” said UN Deputy Special Representative Adam Abdelmoula, who also serves as the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.
The report, compiled by FAO’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), highlighted that desert locusts, which have also affected Kenya and Uganda, will continue to pose a serious risk of damage to both pasture and crops in Somalia.
Much as in Uganda and Kenya the rain forecast for the first planting season is normal, the one for Somalia is expected to be below the average, further exacerbating the food insecurity situation.
According to the humanitarian assistance plan for the first quarter of 2021, some 1.6 million people in Somalia are facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) – or worse.
An additional 2.5 million people are Stressed (IPC Phase 2), bringing the total number of acute food insecure to 4.1 million, which includes approximately 840,000 under-age-five children who are likely to be acutely malnourished, nearly 143,000 of them severely so.
Pointing to a multitude of threats and crises in poor rural, urban and displaced populations, the joint assessment said that food insecurity is expected to deteriorate from April to June.
“We must continue to work with all humanitarian partners to ensure the most vulnerable Somalis are able to withstand the challenges and build resilience against future shocks,” said Mr. Abdelmoula, urging all partners to “work together across the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding paths” to address root causes and build lasting solutions that leave no one behind.
