The Drought isn’t OVER!
Just weeks after the UN declared the Somali famine “over,” new reports from Somalia are emerging that indicates just the opposite: THE CRISIS IS FAR FROM OVER.
Here are the facts:
According to IRIN (Integrated Regional Information Networks), IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), and climate scientists, drought is likely to return to Somalia over the next three months.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says there are still 9.5 million people in need throughout the Horn of Africa and 2.3 million in Somalia alone. That’s 31% of the entire Somali population.
In Northern Kenya, just along the border with Somalia, Kenya’s meteorological department recorded the highest temperatures in over 13 years.
The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction says that the coping mechanisms of people in most of the areas who experienced drought and famine in 2010 and 2011 is almost non-existent. They will not be able to cope with another crisis.
We have early warning, now it is time for early action. We cannot wait for people to show up in Dadaab refugee camp yet again.