UK pledges $10m to Somalia as drought crisis worsens

The funding will provide vital assistance such as cash to buy urgent food supplies and water to help vulnerable families across Somalia that are greatly suffering from drought.

News Keydmedia Online
17 January 2022

KENYA - UK has pledged a $10 million package to support Somalia in the ongoing efforts to address the humanitarian crisis caused by the extreme drought affecting millions of people.

The financial aid was announced by the UK’s minister for Africa, Vicky Ford MP on Sunday, January 17 a visit to Kenya as part of a three-country East Africa official visit.

The funding will provide vital assistance such as cash to buy urgent food supplies and water to help vulnerable families across Somalia that are greatly suffering from drought.

The support is part of the £17 million packages of UK support to countries in East Africa affected by extreme drought and flooding.

The drought severity in Somalia continues to worsen, with over 90% of the country experiencing drought conditions.

There are close to 5 million Somalis who are hungry, and a further 3.5 million are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance this year due to successive poor rains and failed harvests. A further 2.6 million people have fled their homes due to conflict.

The funding is expected to support almost 500,000 people in Somalia to access clean water and afford food supplies. This kind of early preventative action is crucial, as was learned from the 2016/17 drought in Somalia when early action and funding led by the UK helped to narrowly avoid a famine.

Climate change is driving extreme weather events across the region, worsening pre-existing drought, while poor governance and ongoing conflicts in Somalia are displacing vulnerable communities and destroying livelihoods.

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