According to a statement from the newly formed dought committee appointed by the President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi and headed by the Vice President HE Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismail Saylici, Somaliland is facing a severe drought affecting the country’s pastoral heartlands of Togdheer, Sool, Sanaag with partial effect to Marodijeh, Sahil and Awdal regions.
The statement attributes the drought to lower than expected rainfall in the main rainy seasons known in Somali as Gu and Dayr and that approximately 810,000 people are currently facing an acute shortage of water and food and the numbers could rise sharply if the current drought conditions persist.
Somaliland government has allocated 3 million US dollars for those affected with water trucking, maintaining existing water wells, and ensuring adequate emergency food supplies are available as well as the production of Rapid Drought Situation Assessment Report.
Permanent water infrastructure outside of main cities is nonexistent in Somaliland and low rainfall due to climate change has ravaged Somaliland’s rain-dependent pastoralist communities in the past few years.
The drought emergency declaration comes at a time when there is a sharp rise in the prices of food and other essential provisions in Somaliland. The government disputes that food prices increases are the result of service charge increase at the port currently managed by DP World.
The statement concludes with an appeal “I, therefore, call upon the private sector, donors, international partners, and friends of Somaliland, to extend assistance to people affected by the drought to complement the government’s ongoing efforts in addressing the current crisis.”
The appeal for humanitarian assistance was sent to donors and aid agencies with the below assessment report on the drought situation in Somaliland.