UN sounds alarm on Somalia's 'massive' need for aid

MOGADISHU — Visiting United Nations chief Antonio Guterres appealed on Tuesday for significant international support for Somalia as it battles a desperate humanitarian crisis caused by "a perfect storm" of drought and protracted armed conflict.

At a news conference with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in the capital Mogadishu, Guterres said he was on a "visit of solidarity "to the Horn of Africa nation, where 5 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity.

Somalia's worst drought in decades has driven many to the brink of famine, while the government is also engaged in a major offensive to quell a bloody insurgency.

"This combination of terrorism and drought, largely caused by climate change, creates a perfect storm for the people of Somalia and requires massive support from the international community," Guterres said during a visit to a camp for internally displaced people.

The UN has launched a $2.6 billion call for humanitarian assistance, but Guterres said the appeal was only 15 percent funded.

"The international community has been absent-minded in relation to the drama of the people of Somalia," Guterres said.

Mohamud said the UN chief's two-day visit, the first since March 2017, was also a gesture of solidarity "toward the government and the democratic process of Somalia".

Five successive failed rainy seasons in parts of Somalia as well as Kenya and Ethiopia have led to the worst drought in four decades, wiping out livestock and crops and forcing at least 1.7 million people from their homes in search of food and water.

While famine thresholds have not been reached in Somalia, the UN said about half its population will need humanitarian assistance this year, with 8.3 million affected by the drought.

Adding to the woes, seasonal rains in March led to flooding that claimed the lives of 21 people and displaced more than 100,000, according to the UN, which warned that the rains were unlikely to be enough to improve the food security outlook for many.

"Although Somalis make virtually no contribution to climate change …the Somalis are among the greatest victims," Guterres said.

Somalia was hit by a famine in 2011 that killed 260,000 people, more than half of them children under the age of 6, partly because the international community failed to act fast enough, the UN said.

Agencies via Xinhua