The Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC) has called for an increased response to the humanitarian and nutrition crises in Somalia amidst fears of prolonged famine in the country.
Failed rainy seasons in the country had placed nearly 90 percent of Somalia in severe drought, with the climate shock inducing widespread displacement, food insecurity, and increased poverty across the country.
Somalia, since 1990, has experienced more than 30 climate-related hazards, including 12 droughts and 19 floods.
According to GNC, over 1.2 million acutely malnourished children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women could miss out on adequate nutrition assistance if the worsening situation is not addressed immediately.
The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Action Against Hunger (ACF), World Health Organisation (WHO), and the World Food Programme (WFP) are some of the organisations that make up GNC.
‘Worsening food security, declining access to clean water, outbreaks of acute diarrhoea, and a measles epidemic are contributing factors to acute malnutrition’, GNC said in a statement.
‘There is already evidence of a 51 percent and 15 percent increase in admissions to treatment for severely and moderately acute malnourished children, respectively, across the country since the beginning of 2022.
‘In this scenario and with less than half of children, pregnant, and breastfeeding women currently receiving life-saving services across the country, it is urgent to rapidly scale up humanitarian services to save lives and build resilience.
‘The country is likely to experience a rapid and large-scale deterioration of the food security and nutrition situation comparable to 2011 and 2017.
‘However, unlike in 2017 when early funding contributions and massive scale-up of humanitarian assistance helped to prevent another catastrophe, the slow action taken so far in 2022 mirrors that of 2011 – which resulted in large-scale mortality, destruction of livelihoods, and increased human displacement.
‘If we fail to urgently scale up the nutrition response, maternal and child mortality attributed to acute malnutrition will increase and its lifelong debilitating consequences will continue, generation after generation’.
Other humanitarian actors in Somalia have also called for immediate scaling up of humanitarian assistance and support in the country.
Source: Global Nutrition Cluster
Photo source: UNICEF Ethiopia
