Somalia Seeks Support to Feed Millions hit by Severe Drought

UN agencies estimate over 755,000 people have been internally displaced in Somalia due to the severe drought which is attributed to a failure of the rains for four years and climate change.

News Keydmedia Online
16 August 2022

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – The Islamic Development Bank has voiced its continued support for Somalia as the Horn of Africa country is facing a drought which affected over 7 million people.

The pledge came after Abdirahman Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame met with Dr. Zamir Iqbal, the Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Monday.

The special envoy of the Somali president for humanitarian affairs and drought received an assurance from Iqbal that the Islamic Development Bank will spare no time to assist Somalia.

I assured the Bank’s working with Somalia to promote socio-economic development and prosperity of the country,” said Iqbal in a Twitter post following the meeting Warsame.

Warsame said he and the Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank [IsDB] discussed urgent response in funds as well as advocacy for the ongoing drought situation in Somalia.

Last week, IsDB provided aid to communities affected by drought and conflict in Afghanistan.

The special envoy has been paying working trips to several Arab countries to seek urgent humanitarian assistance to Somalia, which is on the brink of half of a second famine in 11 years.

Warsame delivered a message from President Hassan Sheikh on the drought situation to the Secretary General of The Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC] Hussein Brahim Taha.

I gave him updates on the critical condition in Somalia. We discussed a number of steps to scale up drought response,” said the envoy.

UN agencies estimate over 755,000 people have been internally displaced in Somalia due to the severe drought which is attributed to a failure of the rains for four years and climate change.

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