Somalia has appealed for international community support to help millions of Somalis affected by severe drought that has been ravaging the country for more than two year.
In a statement, Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, the newly appointed Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs said more than 6.1 million people are at risk of a crisis.
Majority of these people face food and water shortages as they lost their livestock to drought
Warsame said the country is struggling to deal the impacts of severe recurrent droughts which displaced millions of people from their homes in different parts of the country.
“It is the time for international partners who are known to help the people of Somalia, who have a long tradition of helping each other, to help at this critical time,” Warsame said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
He said his consultations revealed that at least 6.1 million Somalis are at risk of food insecurity; widespread lack of awareness among the communities; the need for emergency; and inadequate humanitarian assistance in the country to cover the needs.
“In order to address the above issues, there is an urgent need to make various appeals to international donors and governments that are friends of Somalia, and to facilitate the work of various aid agencies which is necessary to prevent the drought from turning into a famine,” Warsame said.
He said political leaders also need to work together to tackle the drought which has internally displaced nearly 700,000 people.
“When we work together and share what we have, the world and others can help us. Please save your brother and sister before they are no more,” he added.
