Somalia Monthly Humanitarian Update, January 2024
This report is produced by OCHA Somalia in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It provides information on the humanitarian situation across Somalia in January 2024.
HIGHLIGHTS
-
Humanitarian needs will remain high in Somalia in 2024 due to underlying drivers and recurrent shocks including climatic events, conflict and insecurity, widespread poverty and disease outbreaks.
-
The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has decreased to 6.9 million in 2024 from 8.25 million in 2023, according to the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan.
-
Partners are scaling up cholera response activities as cases are reported in districts that were recently affected by heavy rains and floods, but need more supplies and funding.
-
Humanitarian access remains a major challenge in Somalia. From October to December 2023, partners reported 113 access incidents, including the killing of an aid worker.
-
The 2024 humanitarian response plan will require US$1.6 billion to meet the needs of 5.2 million people, a reduction of almost 40 per cent compared to 2023.
KEY FIGURES
6.9M People in need of assistance in 2024
5.2M People targeted for aid in 2024
US$1.6BN Funding required for 2024 response plan
$56.6M Somalia Humanitarian Fund 2023 allocation
18.3K Cholera cases reported in 2023
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Slight decrease in humanitarian needs projected in 2024, but crisis remains alarming
Humanitarian needs will remain high in Somalia in 2024 due to recurrent shocks, including climatic events such as drought and floods, conflict and insecurity, widespread poverty, and disease outbreaks. These shocks will continue to drive humanitarian needs alongside underlying factors like multidimensional poverty with 55 per cent of the population living below the national poverty line, lack of diversified livelihoods and equitable economic growth, political divisions and marginalization, and weak basic services delivery.
The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), which is due to be launched on 30 January, shows that levels of deprivation will still remain ‘severe’ and ‘extreme’ in most districts of Somalia. According to the plan, 6.9 million people will need assistance, a 16 per cent reduction from 8.25 million in 2023. Inter-sectoral needs have reduced with no district classified as ‘catastrophic’ compared to 11 in 2023, due to the end of drought which led to reduced food insecurity, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene severity levels. While the number of food insecure people has come down from 6.7 million at the peak of the drought in late 2022, 4.3 million people – almost one fourth of the population – remain acutely food insecure in 2024. Two in five children (43 per cent or 1.5 million) under the age of 5 are estimated to suffer from acute malnutrition, down from 1.8 million in early 2023, with rates above 15 per cent in many areas. Food insecurity and malnutrition are expected to increase in the five southern regions that were most affected by recent floods (Banadir, Bay, Lower Shabelle, Lower Juba and Middle Shabelle). More than half of the population is water insecure, with displaced people more affected.
The El Niño phenomena, which led to heavy rains and floods between October to December 2023, is expected to continue, which is likely to lead to above normal gu rains in March and early April. Projections by FAO/Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM) indicate a risk of flash and riverine floods. The rains are forecast to end with a drier May and June period, posing agropastoral livelihood risks. The anticipated above normal rains, inter-clan violence and insecurity are likely to generate a more severe humanitarian impact compared to risk projections made in early 2023, including a significant inflow of displaced people into urban and peri-urban areas. This will put pressure on already stretched services and raise the need for food, water, sanitation, health, education, protection and livelihoods assistance, especially in settlements hosting displaced people. In addition, the on-going Government offensive against non-state armed actors, the volatile security situation and the transition of responsibility from African Union forces to the Somali National Security Forces will contribute to a complex security situation that is likely to impact humanitarian access and programme delivery.
Anticipated humanitarian response in 2024
According to the 2024 HNRP, the humanitarian community will implement a more stringently targeted response in 2024, with a focus on assisting populations in areas that are in cluster need severity 4 and 5 (60 per cent of the HNRP target population). The response plan is tailored to ensure realistic planning and strict response boundaries: interventions will focus on assisting populations living in areas with ‘extreme’ and ‘catastrophic’ severity needs. Resilience, durable solutions, and non-emergency livelihood programming have been excluded, leading to a significant reduction in the proportion of people in need targeted for assistance and in financial requirements. As a result, the number of people targeted has reduced to 5.2 million from 7.6 million people in 2023.
The 2024 HNRP will require US$1.6 billion, a reduction of 37 per cent in funding requirements compared to 2023. Integrated response will be prioritized in 10 districts where the 2023 deyr floods have sharply exacerbated already high preexisting needs across sectors, leading to an increase in the number of people requiring assistance. Partners plan to enhance collaboration with development and international financing partners to support progress and scale-up in three areas: durable solutions, disaster risk reduction linked to water management, and social protection frameworks. Protection will be a key aspect of the response as well as strengthening humanitarian coordination architecture.