Drought in Somalia terrifically escalates; over 4 million face starvation and food shortage

Mogadishu: – Insufficient rains since the last few years and the raging conflict between the government and the terrorist groups have caused a horrific escalation of the drought situation in Somalia. The United Nations informed that more than 4 million Somalians are facing food crisis and starvation. Mercy Corps, a volunteer organisation, has warned that if there are no rains in Somalia in the next few months, the developing crisis will be bigger and graver than in 2011.

Somalia has not had enough rain for the last three years. The available water sources have dried up because of lack of rain and even the land is developing cracks. Families dependent on agriculture and animal herding have been hit the hardest, and the numbers are in hundreds of thousands. It has been reported that more than 80% of domesticated animals have died in certain areas. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have migrated from Baidoa, Gedo regions in Somalia. More than 500,000 Somalian citizens have been forced to migrate due to the drought.

Along with the United Nations, many volunteer organisations are operational to aid the Somalian population. But the local activists informed that the conflict raging between the government and the terrorist organisation Al Shabab makes it impossible to reach aid to the Somalian citizens. Al Shabab has even banned the entry of international voluntary organisations in certain regions. The United Nations Organisation has expressed fears that thousands of people could die if the ban continues due to insufficient aid.

Daud Adan Jiran, chief for Africa of the voluntary organisation Mercy Corps ‘The situation in Somalia is becoming more horrific by the day. There is an intense shortage of water and foodstuff in many regions. The crops in the villages have been completely wasted and thousands of families have lost their animal stock. Their savings and reserves also have been finished. If there is no rain in the next month or two, there could be a drought situation similar to 2011.’

The drought faced by Somalia in 2011-12 claimed nearly 250,000 lives. The World Food Program of the United Nations informed that along with Somalia, hundreds of thousands of people are faced with scarcity of food and starvation even in Kenya and Ethiopia, from the region known as the Horn of Africa.