The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains extremely worrying. Somalia managed to return from the brink of famine in late 2022 and early 2023, while nearly four million people are still in short supply of food and in need of help. The loss of life due to the combination of heavy rains, river floods, El Nino conditions, the destruction of agricultural land, the loss of access to basic services and further displacement. It is also seen that the prevalence of cholera and other waterborne diseases is increasing.
Under the influence of climate change, conflict and insecurity and other factors, nearly four million people in Somalia have been internally displaced. More than 80 percent of these are women and children who face even greater risks of protection because of pre-existing inequalities. Limited access to basic services, such as housing and food, makes women and girls more vulnerable to gender-based violence. Only 15 percent of pregnant women give birth in health centers. While 15 percent of this cut is at risk of experiencing a pregnancy-related complication, there is a 2 percent chance of stillbirth. Only 8 percent of those displaced are estimated to have sufficient housing. Between January and October 2023, more than 170,000 people were known to have been forcibly evacuated.
At least four million people in Somalia (21 per cent of the population) are facing crisis or emergency food insecurity between January and March due to the impact of heavy rainfall and flooding late last year, exacerbated by lingering effects of previous droughts, according to the latest Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) findings published by the FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit on 15 February. The findings show an improvement in food security compared to the same period in 2023, when approximately five million people were classified in IPC Phase 3 or worse due to protracted drought. The current figure represents a 20 per cent reduction in the number of food insecure people. A further improvement is projected in April to June, when normal to above normal Gu rains are anticipated.
An estimated 1.7 million children aged 6 to 59 months face acute malnutrition in 2024, including 430,000 who are likely to be severely malnourished. The report suggests that the high level of acute malnutrition could be due to poor food access, high disease burden, low coverage of health and nutrition services, poor access to improved drinking water and sanitation, and poor child feeding practices. In 2023, acute malnutrition prevention such as the Blanket Supplementary Feeding Programme reached nearly 1.8 million children, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. In 2024, the nutrition response is projected to reduce due to funding and logistical constraints.
According to The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Somalia(HNRP) indicates a decrease in the number of people in need of assistance from 8.3 million in 2023 to 6.9 million people, largely because the threat of localized famine was countered by scaled-up humanitarian response and well-above average Deyr (October to December) rains in 2023.
As of September, humanitarian partners reached about 8.4 million people in total with some form of assistance. The provision of humanitarian food and cash assistance is declining throughout 2023, as the shortage of funding has forced humanitarian partners to reduce their interventions by prioritizing those most vulnerable in areas where needs are most severe. About 1.5 million people gained access to water through temporary water supply; more than three million people had access to basic and life-saving healthcare; and; 1.3 Million acute malnourished children and women were offered life-saving nutritional treatment services. Over 300,000 vulnerable children, more than half of whom live in the most heavily affected areas of Somalia, were supported through Emergency Education.
In 2024, it is estimated that 16 million people will need humanitarian assistance with a 6.9 percent decline compared to last year.
Vildan Kabasakal
Reference:
https://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2024/article/somalia-1
https://www.unocha.org/somalia
https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/somalia/somalia-situation-report-17-mar-2024
https://ihh.org.tr/haber/ihhdan-somali-krizi-raporu-insanlik-kurumasin
https://ihh.org.tr/haber/somalide-ikinci-aclik-krizi-tehlikesi-1381
https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalia-humanitarian-needs-overview-2023-february-2023