MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia on Monday appealed for urgent funding to assist 2.7 million people projected to face acute hunger as pre-drought conditions worsen in the Horn of the African country.

“Somalia is calling on donors to provide sufficient and early funding to scale up emergency response as the projected poor rainfall, and the impact of flooding, desert locusts and the COVID-19 pandemic are again pushing up to 2.7 million people across the country towards a major humanitarian emergency,” Somalia's Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Ministry said in a statement.

Food insecurity is alarming, it said, adding: “Unless aid providers immediately scale up aid operations in some pre-drought-hit areas, it will leave disastrous consequences for millions of people.”

There are signs of severe pre-drought conditions in the southwestern province of Gedo, Jubaland, South West State, Puntland, Galmudug and Somaliland, pushing millions of people into acute food insecurity, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic has also worsened in Somalia since February.

Mogadishu remains the epicenter followed by Somaliland and Puntland, according to the ministry’s statement.

“In response to the new spike in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, the government has taken measures, banning all public gatherings, closing schools, and instructing government employees to work from home, except for some critical departments,” it said.

The country has so far recorded a total of 10,085 COVID-19 cases, with 429 deaths and 4,498 recoveries.