Natural disasters, COVID-19 pandemic, terrorism all major challenges for Somalia, says top official Mohammed Dhaysane | 15.03.2021
MOGADISHU, Somalia
More than 2.5 million people in Somalia are in need of humanitarian assistance due to natural disasters, conflict, and the coronavirus pandemic, a top official said on Sunday.
“Water shortages, locust swarms, floods, COVID-19, and terrorism are all major challenges for Somalia,” Khadija Diriye, the humanitarian affairs and disaster management minister, told a news conference in the capital Mogadishu.
Finance Minister Abdirahman Duale Beileh also said several world bodies have responded to the government’s call for help, including the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Bank, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that pre-drought conditions have already been reported in parts of Somaliland, Puntland, Hirshabelle, Galmudug and Jubaland regions of the Horn of Africa country after the poor seasonal rains late last year.
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Somalia: Humanitarian Response Plan 2021 (February 2021)
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Foreword by the Humanitarian Coordinator
As we head into 2021, Somalia is facing a myriad of persistent and protracted humanitarian crises driven by alarming political instability, widespread insecurity and recurring climate disasters. While we continue to address the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, recovery challenges remain well ahead.
Among those who bear the disproportionate burden of poverty and insecurity are women, children, people with disabilities, marginalized communities and displaced persons. They deserve far more, and we will continue to stand with them.
The humanitarian community in Somalia faced unprecedented and exceptional challenges in 2020, and I am sincerely grateful to all our partners, in particular the Federal Government of Somalia, the Federal Member States, local and international NGOs and our donors, for the strong collaboration and support that enabled us to reach 2.3 out of 3 mi