Somalia: The Cost of Inaction, November 2024

OVERVIEW

The humanitarian crisis in Somalia is dire; 6.9 million people, almost two in five Somalis, are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024. Somalia’s population is still battling with the lingering effects of the 2022 worst drought in decades and subsequent flooding in 2023 to 2024. The above-average rainfall totals of 2024 Gu season caused significant flooding in April to May, compounded by degraded topsoil following a prolonged drought. Flooding destroyed shelter, schools, and critical water and sanitation infrastructure, a contributing factor to uninterrupted cholera/AWD transmissions in various regions across the country. Conversely, due to the temporal distribution and early cessation of rains in May, post-Gu assessments indicate that national crop production will be significantly below average. The Deyr (Oct-Dec) rainfalls, essential for food production, are anticipated to be below-average, linked to a 70 per cent likelihood of La Nina conditions, which is likely to further drive needs for humanitarian assistance in 2025.

Three quarters into the year, the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) is only 39.6 per cent funded. The HNRP requires US$1.6 billion to meet the needs of 5.2 million people - a 37 per cent reduction from $2.6 billion that was required to aid 7.6 million people in 2023. Support from donors enabled humanitarian partners to reach 1.86 million people with multi-sectoral assistance from January to September, representing a sobering 36 per cent of the 5.21 million people targeted for assistance. These gaps are also evident in 10 districts targeted for priority assistance by the 2024 HNRP due to high severity of multi-sectoral needs, only two of these districts attained more than a 50 per cent reach. The funding shortfall has triggered significant reductions in lifesaving assistance for scores of people in desperate need, eroding coping capacities and compounding existing vulnerabilities. A failure to assist now will lead to increasing numbers of people requiring assistance in the future.