Severe drought in Somalia affects seven million people in risk of famine

Extreme climate phenomena are becoming more common, they occur at times in which they did not occur before, they impact in unusual places, they last longer and are more virulent. These are the visible consequences of climate change, a situation that unfairly affects the least developed countries the most, victims of the desperate ambition to grow of the richest countries that has led humanity and the planet into the abyss.

One of the proofs of the consequences of climate change, and its impact on the population, is the lack of precipitation that is occurring in the Horn of Africa, a situation that means that the area is experiencing the worst drought in forty years. Countries such as Kenya, Somalia or Ethiopia have linked four rainy seasons with almost no precipitation, which affects crops and livestock, and therefore has a huge impact on the population's livelihood.

In this context, the NGO World Vision warns of the extreme situation that a large part of the population in Somalia is experiencing due to the severe drought in the Horn of Africa. According to the international aid agency, more than 800,000 people have had to flee their homes and more than seven million people are at risk of severe food insecurity. The entity, however, predicts that the situation may worsen much more in the coming months, as a fifth rainy season without water is expected.

Serious situation of hunger

According to World Vision data, more than 200,000 people are already in a serious situation of hunger, and they predict that one and a half million children under the age of five will be at risk of malnutrition by the end of 2022. "The majority of mothers who have come through our nutrition clinics have at least one malnourished son or daughter. Some of their kids died before they could get help", says Tobias Oloo, director of World Vision Somalia.

The organization, which is in Somalia providing food, nutrition and water assistance, cash and child protection to affected families, laments that millions of Somali households are struggling to cope with the exorbitant increase in food prices in a situation in which many families have lost purchasing power. Likewise, they state that a large part of the displaced boys and girls have had to leave school to migrate or even to work.

Oloo remembers that during the great famine of 2011, half of the 250,000 people who died in Somalia were children under the age of five. "We know from experience that vulnerable minors are the ones who suffer the most in crisis situations", adds Oloo, which is why the NGO calls on the international community to give absolute priority to the lives of boys and girls and their families that will soon be at risk of starvation.