Somalia battles an unrelenting drought
on the cusp of famine.
Banedir Maternity & Children’s Hospital has become ground zero for Somalia’s looming famine after four consecutive failed rainy seasons the Horn of Africa faces the worst period of drought for 40 years with another poor rainy season now likely to follow, a famine expected to be declared with in the next few weeks.
Compounding the crisis, the war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the lives of Somalis, with food prices soaring and aid stretched thin. Some 7 million Somalis, nearly half the population, are now at risk of famine. In Baidoa alone the number of internally displaced people seeking aid swelled from 400,000 at the beginning of the year to 900,000 now.
While the threshold for a declaration of famine by the UN was passed weeks ago the new Somali government has not officially declared it as such wanting show they are able to keep the situation under control, this delay has and will continue to lead to the deaths of thousands in the coming months as the crisis worsens in Somalia but also in the rest of the Horn of Africa.
*Special thanks to Concern Worldwide for making this story possible
Facts correct as of 20/11/2022