The United States government, through USAID, is providing more than $151 million in new aid to support Somalia. USAID said that $146.5 million of that amount is intended for food aid. More than 7 million people affected by the drought in Somalia, some of whom are on the verge of starvation.
About $5 million will be provided to support disaster resilience and economic recovery in the country. This amount is in addition to $476 million in humanitarian aid that the United States provided in July, when USAID head Samantha Power visited Somalia. This new amount brings the US government’s support to Somalia this year to more than $870 million. It is half of all humanitarian aid given to Somalia in 2022.
The United States government said it is concerned about the predictions given by the UN agencies that Somalia may face famine from October to December this year if there is no immediate support to deal with the drought. The United States government has called on other international donors to increase their aid to Somalia, in order to prevent the famine from becoming a reality.
Humanitarian Aid
This assistance will help many of the nearly six million people of Somalia in need of humanitarian aid, including three million displaced people inside Somalia. Never the less there are nearly 500,000 Somali refugees in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya. This new funding will provide emergency food and nutrition assistance. Some key areas could be safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, shelter, protection, education, and health care, as well as logistics and other support, in the face of worsening environmental, humanitarian, and conflict related challenges.
The United States is the largest single donor of humanitarian aid in Somalia and for Somali refugees in the region, and we welcome efforts by the UN to draw attention to the plight of the people of Somalia. We remain concerned about the continuing increase in humanitarian needs, and we urge other donors to contribute to the international response and provide the support needed to save lives.
The US is providing nearly $199 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Somalia. The East African nation has faced decades of chronic food insecurity, violence, and cycles of drought and flooding. The impacts of which have all been compounded by desert locusts and the COVID-19 pandemic. This additional funding, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of State, brings the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for the people of Somalia to more than  $408 million for Fiscal Year 2021.
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