Somalia: stopping the vicious circle of war and famine

Immediate action is needed in Somalia and the Horn of Africa to save the lives of millions of people. But emergency intervention with food and medicine is not enough. The world must help farmers in the region to get back to food production and stave off another season of starvation.
This is the latest warning from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, following the declaration of famine in five regions in Somalia. There are rising fears that unless action is taken urgently the famine could spread quickly across all regions of Southern Somalia and beyond.
FAO’s Representative and Emergency Operations Coordinator for Somalia, Luca Alinovi, says the situation is extremely serious, even as Somalis expect some short rains in October.
“If we are not able in October to get the people back to the productive sector, we risk massive immigration outside of Somalia, which will become not only a major problem for Somalia itself but also a destabilising factor across the region. So, the immediate need is to make sure that the people have enough cash to purchase their food now, otherwise there will be people starving and probably dying, and at the same time to put them in the condition to go back to produce their own food by themselves.”
FAO is seeking urgent funds to protect the most vulnerable households in Somalia.
The crisis in the Horn of Africa is the most severe food security emergency in the world today, with thousands of lives already lost since late last year, the agency says. The fate of many more thousands remains in the balance.
Meanwhile to cope with the growing numbers, UNHCR has put in place a huge humanitarian operation at the border between Kenya and Somalia.
UNHCR spokesman William Spindler says it’s putting a huge strain on the organization’s capacity to respond to the crisis.
“We desperately need funding to respond to this crisis. For instance at the moment we urgently need 45,000 tents in order to accommodate many of the people who are already here but are in inadequate accommodation and some of those who will be coming in the next weeks and months.”
Over 420,000 Somalis fleeing drought and famine in their country are currently registered in Dadaab. UNHCR has made an appeal to donors for $145 million but has only received 40% of the amount so far.