UN pledges to boost Somalia’s humanitarian support

The United Nations (UN) said on Wednesday that it will step up humanitarian support to Somalia in 2021 in order to achieve a stable, peaceful and prosperous society.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mr Adam Abdelmoula, said the Horn of Africa nation began 2021 with a number of similar challenges that afflicted it in 2020.

Abdelmoula said the “triple shock” of climate change, conflict and the Covid-19 pandemic will worsen humanitarian needs this year.

“The factors that went into the triple shock have not gone away. In fact, they will exacerbate humanitarian needs this year. With our partners, we will need to step up these efforts in reaching the most vulnerable people affected,” he told a virtual press conference in Mogadishu.

According to the UN relief agency, more than five million people are in need of aid through 2021 in Somalia because of climatic shocks- including floods and locust infestation, armed conflict and insecurity amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have so far provided support to about 25,900 farming households and sprayed more than 110,000 hectares of land with biopesticides,” Mr Abdelmoula said.

Mr Abdelmoula said the UN was able to buttress the government’s health machinery with testing laboratories, specialised isolation centres, training of more than 5,000 frontline health workers and distribution of thousands of PPE sets.

Olajumoke Adeleke