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UN appeals for emergency aid to help Somalis suffering from prolonged drought

UN appeals for emergency aid to help Somalis suffering from prolonged drought

With up to a million Somalis needing immediate humanitarian assistance because of the country's crippling drought, United Nations officials working in the Horn of Africa country have appealed to international donors to drastically increase their funding.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has received less than $35 million so far of the $119 million it needs to deal with the mounting demands for relief from Somalis suffering from what is widely considered to be the worst drought there in 30 years.

The drought affects most of the country but is worst in the north and northeast, where livestock are dying at enormous rates - including 80 per cent of camels - and the rangelands have become badly degraded by the lack of rain.

Some areas in the north have not decent rainfall for four years, and the self-declared republic of Somaliland and autonomous region of Puntland have both declared an emergency in their northern territories.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Somalia Max Gaylard said in a statement issued today that Somalis in the north are in "desperate need of help," with many shepherds already abandoning their livelihoods because of the conditions.

OCHA Humanitarian Affairs Officer Olla Hassan said the croplands and agricultural districts in Somalia's central and southern regions are also affected. Cereal production has slumped, further damaging the country's fragile economy.

In the Juba Valley in southern Somalia, freelance militias have set up roadblocks, restricting access and increasing the cost of food transport there. There have also been violent clashes between sub-clans in west Belet Weyne in central Somalia.

Ms. Hassan said Somalia's security situation makes aid distribution more difficult, but the key problem remained the lack of funds. In November last year OCHA appealed for $110 million for all of Somalia's needs, a total later increased to $119 million. Yet less than 30 per cent of that amount has been donated so far.

"There is capacity on the ground to provide assistance but there are just no resources," she said.