Famine Threatens 6.9 Mln in Somalia, 3.6 Mln Head of Livestock Die

 Somalia is witnessing the worst drought in 40 years due to the lack of rain which threatens millions of Somalis.

They were also exposed to decades of political turmoil along with civil war and disbanding of the unity of Somali territories.

As a result, the Somali President’s envoy on drought, Abdul Rahman Abdul Shakour Rasmi, called on all local and international organizations to increase efforts to support drought-affected communities across the various parts of the country, according to the Somali National News Agency.

The office of the President's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs and Drought Response said - in a statement reported by the Somali News Agency - that the severe drought that hit large areas of the country has affected the lives of an estimated 6.9 million people, as a result of the delay in seasonal rains, and it is feared that up to 8 millions in the coming months, or 50% of the total population, indicating that 66 districts were completely affected by the drought.

Reports by aid agencies and meteorologists say that 4 consecutive seasons of poor rain have made millions of drought-affected people in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia at risk of starvation and warned that the October/November monsoon may not improve the situation.

Meteorologists and humanitarian agencies, including those from the United Nations, say the unprecedented drought is "a climatic phenomenon that the region has not witnessed for at least 40 years."