U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the international community to give more emergency humanitarian aid to Somalia.
Guterres, in his second visit to the country since 2017, said the Somali people deserve the solidarity of the international community to effectively respond to the drought and continue the fight against the militant group al-Shabab.
"I call on donors and the international community to step up their support; to urgently fund the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan which is currently just 15% funded," he said.
Guterres said there was a need for massive international support to Somalia, not only to respond to the humanitarian crisis but also for stabilization efforts and security in the country. Somalia is waging an operation against al-Shabab in central and southern parts of the country.
"Somalis make virtually no contribution to climate change. The Somalis are among the greatest victims. Nearly 5 million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity and, of course, rising prices make matters worse," Guterres said.
World Vision Somalia Associate Director Ahmed Omar told VOA the visit by Guterres raises the profile of the humanitarian situation in Somalia and shows the U.N.'s solidarity with the most vulnerable people in the country. In January, the Somali government and the U.N. launched a $2.6 billion humanitarian appeal for 2023. However, less than 20% of that appeal has been funded.
Omar said the situation in Somalia will require urgent and robust international mobilization of resources. Somalia narrowly escaped a famine declaration in 2017 thanks to concerted humanitarian efforts, Omar said, adding that this year may be more difficult because of the combined effects of low funding and adverse weather predictions.
Besides the drought, Somalia is also facing deadly fighting in the contested Las Anod town, which has resulted in hundreds of people dying and thousands more being displaced. The war against al-Shabab is also moving to southern parts of the country.
During the joint media briefing, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud urged the U.N. chief to lend support to the stabilization efforts in the country.
Abdiaziz Isaack, a security and political analyst with the Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center, said there is also an urgent need to finance the post-al-Shabab era in Somalia.
He said the ongoing humanitarian situation in Somalia has many components and security is central, adding that the call by Mohamud on the U.N. to fund the stabilization of newly liberated areas is crucial.
Isaack said by visiting Somalia in the middle of a military campaign against al-Shabab, Guterres was underscoring the importance the international community attaches to the campaign. The visit also is a morale boost for the Somali government and the forces on the ground, Isaack added.
Guterres first came to Somalia in March 2017, when the country was facing yet another deadly drought that the U.N. had warned risked degenerating into a famine. Somalia expects this visit by Guterres will signal the urgency and gravity of the current situation and provoke a quick international response.
