In Somalia, 80 percent of the country’s harvest was dependent on the ‘Gu’ rains, which were short, light and scattered this year, said Owen Calvert, a consultant with the WFP-affiliated Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU). “We’re in for a worrying period ahead”, he added. Crops and grazing were below quality, livestock were in poor condition and water resources compromised, WFP stated, while the FSAU warned that people’s capacity to cope had been eroded by recurrent crises and continuing civil conflict.
The insecurity in the country meant that WFP was unable to distribute about 2.5 mt of food it had at Merka port, and which “would put some food in the system and take the pressure off for maybe a month or so”, a spokeswoman told IRIN on Wednesday. In all, however, WFP estimated there would be up to 15,000 mt of food aid needed in Somalia up to the end of the year.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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