Alert Note: Somaliland Drought 19-002-SO

According to a recent assessment conducted by NADFOR, FSNAU and relevant government bodies from December 2018 to January 2019, about 1,588,250 people, both in urban and rural areas are in needs of assistance due to poor Deyr rains of 2018. This resulted to poor harvest and burdens on the livelihood system of thousands of people. The affected people are in urgent need of livesaving and stabilization humanitarian support. 

The drought situation in the Horn of Africa has resulted in devastating effects on the populations, and Somaliland, to the extreme north of Somalia, has not been spared. Thus, the increasing drought conditions due to the failed rains in three consecutive years have created food insecurity.

The humanitarian situation in Somaliland has continued to deteriorate and an elevated risk of famine persists in some parts of the country, only seven years after the devastating 2011 famine led to the death of over a quarter million people, half of them children.

This follows a poor Gu season (April to June 2016) and failed October to December 2016 Deyr season, food security has deteriorated significantly across Somalia, with an increasing number of people facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity, and in need of emergency food assistance. Areas of greatest concern include southern agricultural and agro-pastoral areas and north-eastern pastoral areas.