MOGADISHU, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- More than 15 humanitarian agencies have called for urgent funding to avert a looming famine in Somalia.
It is unacceptable for the international community to delay action until a famine is officially declared, said the agencies, including Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the International Rescue Committee, and Concern Worldwide, in a joint statement issued Monday.
"Further suffering and loss of life must urgently be prevented, not only in Somalia, but in neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya, where interconnected factors including drought, inflation, and conflict are pushing millions of people towards catastrophic levels of hunger," the statement said.
The latest Somalia Food Security and Nutrition Analysis report, released Monday, said there were concrete indications that famine will occur in two areas in the Bay region (Baidoa and Burhakaba districts) in south-central Somalia between October and December.
According to the report, with five consecutive seasons of poor rainfall, exhausted coping capacities of affected communities, depletion of livelihood assets, and other exacerbating factors, humanitarian assistance will be required to address high levels of needs beyond December 2022.
The aid agencies said the latest report reflects a catastrophic humanitarian situation in Somalia where at least 1.5 million children are already facing acute malnutrition, farmers can no longer feed their families due to the loss of livestock and crops, and women and girls face increased gender-based violence, and over 1 million people have already been forced to flee their homes due to the drought.
The warning comes just over a decade since more than 250,000 Somalis died from preventable famine, half of whom perished before the famine was officially declared.
The agencies called on the international community to immediately disperse funding that enables humanitarian organizations to deliver cash, food, safe water, and other lifesaving services to people whose lives now depend on it. They said while important funding contributions by donors have been made in recent months, substantially more is needed from more corners of the globe to match the current scale of needs in the Horn of Africa.
Forecasts indicate the fifth consecutive failed rainy season in the coming months, and recovery from drought will take time.
According to the UN, the unprecedented failure of four consecutive rainy seasons, decades of conflict, mass displacement, and severe economic issues are pushing many people to the brink of famine. ■