UN pleads for Sh160bn to avert famine in Somalia

This file photo taken on March 15, 2017 shows a malnourished child being fed by her mother at a regional hospital in Baidoa town, the capital of Bay region of south-western Somalia. AFP PHOTO | TONY KARUMBA

The United Nations has said Sh160 billion is needed to respond to severe drought that has been ravaging Somalia since January last year.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) 5.4 million people in Somalia are in dire need of food, medical assistance and shelter, in the case of internally displaced persons.

Speaking during the launch of the Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan at the Amisom offices in Mogadishu, the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia Hassan Khayre asked the international community and donor agencies for their help in dealing with the drought and to avert a potential famine in the country.

He also urged the agencies to move to Mogadishu to offer assistance from the ground.

According to Mr Kharye, a lot of the donations came from Somalis themselves and he urged for a long term solution to be developed to ensure that the country attains food security and general stability.

This year's rains are expected to fail resulting in drought and may lead to famine.

According to Peter de Clercq, the UNOCHA humanitarian coordinator, Sh130 billion was to avert famine last year and he is confident that the amount required will be raised this year.