Antonio Guterres, the U.N. Secretary-General, has called on the international community to provide more emergency humanitarian aid to Somalia.
During his second visit to the country since 2017, Guterres emphasized that the Somali people need the support of the international community to respond to the drought and continue their fight against the militant group al-Shabab.
The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan needs urgent funding, as it is currently only 15% funded. Guterres also highlighted the need for massive international support for Somalia, not only to address the humanitarian crisis but also for stabilization efforts and security in the country.
Somalia is waging an operation against al-Shabab in central and southern parts of the country.
Ahmed Omar, the Associate Director of World Vision Somalia, said that Guterres’ visit raises the profile of the humanitarian situation in Somalia and demonstrates the UN’s solidarity with the most vulnerable people in the country.
In January, the Somali government and the UN launched a $2.6 billion humanitarian appeal for 2023, but less than 20% of that appeal has been funded so far. Omar stated that the situation in Somalia will require urgent and robust international mobilization of resources.
Besides the drought, Somalia is also facing deadly fighting in the contested Las Anod town, which has resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands more being displaced. The war against al-Shabab is also moving to southern parts of the country.
During the joint media briefing, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud urged the U.N. chief to lend support to the stabilization efforts in the country.
Abdiaziz Isaack, a security and political analyst with the Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center, said there is an urgent need to finance the post-al-Shabab era in Somalia.
Guterres’ first visit to Somalia was in March 2017 when the country was facing another deadly drought that the UN had warned risked degenerating into a famine. Somalia is hoping that Guterres’ current visit will highlight the urgency and gravity of the current situation and prompt a quick international response.
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