The United Nations says famine has temporarily been averted in Somalia, but food insecurity remains dire for the majority of the population, especially children. 

Despite efforts, food insecurity remained “catastrophic”, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated, based on the current IPC report, which measures levels of severity from one to five, with five being a state of “catastrophe/famine.”

“Even without a famine declaration, the situation is extremely alarming,” said Adam Abdelmoula, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.

“The scale and severity of the emergency are expanding as displacement continues unabated, food and water prices remain high, critical gaps in the response persist, and as the current rains have been poor and insufficient for replenishing water sources and sustaining grazing fields for livestock,” he added. 

Somalia’s drought-affected population has more than doubled this year, from 3.2 million in January to 7.8 million in October, with the severity of requirements increasing proportionally.

As drought, violence, and displacement continue to endanger people’s lives and livelihoods, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs projected that needs will more than triple, from 214,000 to 727,000 individuals.

The situation is much worse for children, as several were already dead from hunger-related illnesses. 

“Fatality numbers are difficult. I have anecdotally sat with women who have shown me mounds next to their tents in a displacement camp where they have buried their two and three-year-olds. I have sat with women who made a decision who they left behind…There is no doubt that large numbers of children have died,” UN Children’s Fund spokesperson James Elder said. 

As of December 13, the 2022 Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which seeks $2.27 billion to cover the needs of 7.6 million people, had a $1 billion gap with aid agencies seeking donations. 

“We thank donors for their generosity to date and appeal for immediate additional and flexible funding to enable a further scale-up and improvement of humanitarian operations. Together we have averted famine, albeit temporarily. We can and must make sure that this becomes a sustained reality for the people of Somalia,” Mr Abdelmoula added.