The United Nations (UN) relief agency has appealed for urgent assistance for Somalia, particularly in the northern regions, where communities face escalating hardship amid severe drought conditions.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) made the appeal on Sunday in its latest humanitarian report.

OCHA said that cumulative crises, including severe drought, flooding, dwindling aid, and protracted conflict, had systematically undermined the resilience of millions of Somali households.

The agency estimated that severe drought conditions had affected roughly 250,000 people, with coastal and remote communities hit the hardest.

“Authorities are appealing for urgent assistance, warning that hundreds of thousands of people are facing increasing hardship.

“This includes more than 570,000 people who require water assistance and 1.5 million who require food assistance,” the OCHA said.

The Somalia Humanitarian Fund stepped up support to the famine-risk Buurhakaba district in the Bay region, providing $4.7 million, including a recent $2 million reserve allocation.

The UN agency said malnutrition was rising, with over 400,730 children experiencing acute malnutrition, including 97,150 severe and 303,580 moderate cases.

“Reproductive health services and emergency obstetric care remain severely limited, particularly for nomadic communities. Drought has also disrupted education, with more than 820 schools reportedly closed,” the OCHA added. 

(Xinhua/NAN)