Geneva: The United Nations revealed Friday that the drought plaguing Somalia since the beginning of the year has displaced approximately 62,000 people across five regions.
The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM), in its latest report, anticipates that the total number of displaced people in the country will reach hundreds of thousands.
The report indicates that three out of every four new displacements in the five regions surveyed in Somalia are due to the drought, while hunger levels are also rising.
The IOM further warned that worsening drought conditions could lead to crop failure and the collapse of livelihoods in the regions of Baidoa, Dinile, Kahda, Dinsor, and Dollo. It noted that figures outside these five regions remain unclear.
In a related context, Brian Kelly, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) senior program coordinator in Somalia, stated during the report's presentation that "the organization estimates the total number of displaced people across the country will reach approximately 300,000."
He noted that "even if the rainy season, which runs from April to June, sees above-average rainfall, an additional 125,000 people are expected to be displaced due to drought during that period, according to the IOM's Displacement Tracking Mechanism."
He described the current situation as "dire," explaining that "in the worst-affected areas, the drought is causing crop failures, livestock deaths, and water shortages, forcing families to leave their homes in search of assistance.
Many are heading to already overcrowded urban areas and displacement centers, where access to shelter, water, and basic services remains limited.
Some families are arriving in places like Mogadishu and Baidoa that are unable to support them, often arriving after their water has run out, their crops have withered, and their livestock have died."
Kelly said, "This means that nearly one in three people in the country are facing high levels of hunger," adding that "more than 1.8 million children are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year."
He warned that UN agencies and their partners have received only 14 percent of the total funding required for humanitarian aid in Somalia this year.
He noted that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recently completed an assessment of the most urgent needs and concluded that $10 million is urgently required to save lives and provide a minimum level of dignity for the most vulnerable. Without swift action, the drought will continue to force people to flee their homes.
In February, UN-backed experts warned that the number of people in Somalia suffering from acute food insecurity had nearly doubled in the past year, reaching 6.5 million.
