MOGADISHU, Aug 18 – The United Nations has voiced alarm over the drastic shortfall in humanitarian funding for Somalia, warning that millions are at risk as critical aid operations are being scaled back.
According to a new UN report, only 17 percent of the $1.42 billion required for Somalia’s 2025 humanitarian response plan has been received so far.
The funding was intended to assist 4.6 million people in need, but the shortfall has forced aid agencies to reduce their target coverage by 72 percent.
As a result, only 1.3 million people can currently be reached with assistance, leaving millions more without lifesaving support. The UN says at least $367 million is urgently needed to address the most immediate needs.
More than 300,000 people — the majority of them displaced families living in overcrowded camps or remote rural areas — have lost access to clean water and sanitation services after critical programs were either reduced or halted altogether.
Funding for the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector is now at less than 12 percent of what is required.
The situation is further compounded by a surge in waterborne diseases. Between January and July this year, Somalia reported 6,550 cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea, including nine deaths.
Over 1,000 new cases were registered in the past month alone, nearly half of them involving children under five, the report said.
The UN has called on international donors to urgently step up support to prevent a deepening humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa nation.
