- Minister for Africa has announced a £25 million
aid package for Somalia, supporting almost a million people.
- Somalia facing prospect of widespread famine, with 350,000
children’s lives at risk if no action is taken.
- Ford did a virtual visit to Baidoa in Somalia yesterday
[Monday] and announced new funding at UN event in Geneva today.
Minister for Africa has announced a new £25 million
aid package to provide vital services to almost a million people
across the country, including food and Water, Sanitation, and
Hygiene (WASH) support, as the country teeters on the brink of
widespread famine.
Speaking at a roundtable event organised by UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ford announced the package
of lifesaving food, water, nutrition and emergency health support
and called on other international donors to step up.
After three failed rainy seasons, approximately half the
population require life-saving aid due to the ongoing drought.
Forecasts suggest a fourth failed rain is likely. The UN estimate
that there are pockets of famine in the county now, with more
than one million people on the edge.
The Minister also announced a groundbreaking partnership with
Qatar, which will see the Qatari government invest $1.5 million
with the UK towards the emergency response and
resilience-building in Somalia.
Minister for Africa said:
We should be in no doubt of what will happen if we fail to
support the people of Somalia – 350,000 children will die and
many more will have their lives ruined.
The UK is stepping up our support with an additional £25 million,
taking our support to almost £40 million in 2022 alone. It will
mean life-saving food, water and healthcare support for more than
a million people.
After a quarter of a million people needlessly died from hunger
in Somalia in 2011, we said never again. Now is the time for the
international community to fulfill that commitment and stand with
the people of Somalia.
Yesterday [25 April], the Minister conducted a virtual visit to
Baidoa in Somalia where the UK is supporting almost 120,000
people with food and water support. She met with representatives
from the Norwegian Refugee Council, a UK partner on the ground,
and heard from communities affected.
Norwegian Refugee Council’s Somalia Country Director, Mohamed
Abdi said:
The scale of the crisis in Somalia, and the level of human
suffering, is truly staggering. More than three-quarters of a
million people have been forced to flee their homes, millions
more face life-threatening food and water shortages, and people
are on the brink of famine.
To avert a tragedy and save lives the world must act now -
Somalia requires a massive injection of support.
A perfect storm of events is behind the current situation in
Somalia. Extreme weather events associated with climate change
are ruining harvests. Poor governance and conflict across the
country continue to displace vulnerable communities, destroy
livelihoods and limit access to humanitarian assistance.
Driven in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Somali people
have also faced sharp rises in the price of rice by almost 15%,
the price of oil by 40% and the price of wheat by 45%.
The food insecurity crisis extends across the Horn of Africa.
Some 14 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are at
risk of severe hunger and water shortages.
The Minister witnessed the impact of the crisis in the region
first-hand on a visit to Kenya and Ethiopia earlier this year.
The UK Government committed an initial £14.5 million of support
for Somalia earlier this year, which is expected to support
almost 500,000 people to access clean water and afford food
supplies.
