"Another severe drought is ravaging Somalia, compounding the effects of conflict and extreme poverty. More and more families are going without food, more people are fleeing their homes due to the conflict, and humanitarian workers continue to struggle to access those who need their help. The country's long-suffering people need a boost of international humanitarian assistance to avoid slipping into a famine as catastrophic as that of 2011. Europe is acting now, and I call on other donors to join us before it is too late," said Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.
The new funding brings to €49 million the Commission's 2014 humanitarian aid contribution for Somalia. It will target the people in greatest need and will be channelled through the European Commission's humanitarian partners, including UN agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations.
BACKGROUND
Three years after a famine ravaged parts of Somalia, the country is threatened by another hunger crisis. Food security has deteriorated sharply especially in south-central Somalia as a result of poor rains, restricted access and conflict disrupting economic and agricultural activities. Drought has been declared in six regions of South-Central Somalia in July this year.
Over 2.9 million people are in need of assistance, out of whom 857 000 are in a crisis situation. Over 200 000 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished and around 50 000 are at risk of dying without treatment.
There are over one million internally displaced Somalis who represent 75% of those in acute need of assistance.
Delivering aid in Somalia is extremely difficult. Humanitarian workers face security threats and restricted access people in need, making Somalia one of the world's more dangerous places for humanitarian operations.
