 |
Somalia |
Disaster Assistance at a Glance
Recent Disaster Declarations:
Complex Emergency
OFDA Response:
Agriculture and Food Security, Economic Recovery and Market Systems, Health, Humanitarian Coordination and Information Management, Logistics Support and Relief Commodities, Nutrition, Protection, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Latest OFDA Report:
Humanitarian Assistance in Review, FY 2002-2011 (275kbPDF)
Horn of Africa Fact Sheet #15 (418kb PDF) and map (1.01mb PDF)
East and Central Africa Region Fact Sheet #1 (293kb PDF) and (map) (203kb PDF)
Somalia Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #2 (183kb PDF) and (map) |
|
|
|
Most Recent Disaster Declaration:
Complex Emergency, 10-13-2011
As of October 2011, six regions of Somalia remained famine-affected, exacerbating the ongoing complex emergency in the country generated by widespread violence, endemic poverty, and recurring droughts and floods. Approximately 3.3 million people in Somalia required lifesaving assistance, while more than 900,000 Somalis had fled to neighboring Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Yemen due to the famine and insecurity, according to the U.N. Of those requiring lifesaving assistance, an estimated 2.6 million were located in southern Somalia, where humanitarian access remained restricted. In September 2011, the U.N. reported that approximately 750,000 individuals living in famine zones were at risk of death absent an immediate increase in humanitarian assistance. In addition, an estimated 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), approximately one-third of whom live in overcrowded, informal settlements within Mogadishu, remained susceptible to communicable diseases due to limited access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and health services. Relief agencies continued to escalate efforts to provide assistance in October, but insecurity and restricted access hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Despite normal onset of the October to December deyr rains, areas of southern Somalia were expected to deteriorate into or remain in famine, as of October, according to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network. In addition, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) forecast increased vulnerability among pastoral communities in northern and central Somalia—particularly in Nugaal, Mudug, Bari, Sool, and Sanaag regions—in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 due to drought-related loss of livestock.
On October 13, 2011, U.S. Ambassador James C. Swan, Special Representative for Somalia, redeclared a disaster due to the ongoing complex emergency. In FY 2011, USAID/OFDA provided nearly $47 million to support agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, health, humanitarian coordination and information management, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, as well as the provision of logistics support and relief commodities.
Additional Disaster Declaration:
Complex Emergency, 10-7-2010
Since 1991, widespread violence, endemic poverty, recurrent droughts, and floods have generated a complex emergency in Somalia. From December 2006 to January 2009, fighting between the Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, and armed militias opposed to the TFG led to further deterioration in humanitarian conditions. Following January 2009 Ethiopian troop withdrawals, conflict between armed militia groups in Somalia continues to displace populations and limit humanitarian access to affected areas. As a result, more than 600,000 Somali refugees have fled the country and approximately 1.4 million IDPs remain uprooted within Somalia, including long-term IDPs and those displaced by recent fighting.
The combined effects of consecutive seasons of failed or poor rainfall, conflict, rising inflation, displacement, and diarrheal disease outbreaks have exacerbated food insecurity and resulted in increased acute malnutrition rates. Humanitarian agencies report that one in six children in Somalia is acutely malnourished while one in 42 is severely malnourished. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit, approximately 2 million people continued to require humanitarian assistance in Somalia as of August 2010. U.N. and partner agencies are coordinating efforts to improve access to affected populations, but insecurity and targeted attacks against relief staff continue to hinder the provision of emergency assistance.
On October 7, 2010, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Lee A. Brudvig redeclared a disaster due to the ongoing complex emergency in Somalia. In FY 2010, USAID/OFDA provided more than $16 million to support agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, health, humanitarian coordination and information management, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, as well as logistics support and relief commodities.
For information on additional USAID disaster responses in Somalia, please see OFDA Annual Reports.
Back to Top ^ |
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
