Crisis overview
Somalia is currently experiencing a drought that started in 2015. The whole country is affected, with northeastern areas of Puntland and Somaliland the worst affected. Humanitarian conditions in the southcentral areas of Bay, Bakool, and Gedo have deteriorated rapidly since November, with poor rainfall affecting crops and livestock. Poor and rural households are atypically market dependent heading into the Jilaal lean season and many require humanitarian assistance to meet basic needs.
Key Findings
In Bay, Bakool, and Gedo, pastoral and agropastoral areas have been affected by the ongoing drought. Conditions have deteriorated after consecutive seasons of poor rainfall. The Jilaal dry season is expected to deteriorate food security, with 1.375 million predicted to be food insecure across the country between February and May - an increase of 275,000 from October 2016. A poor gu rainfall from April to August is predicted, and a significant decline in food security and nutrition levels should be expected.
Priorities for humanitarian intervention
Food Security is a concern for poor and rural populations, who are atypically market dependent. 3,000 people were in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 120,000 in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) from August-December 2016. Livestock and crop failure has limited income for this population.
WASH facilities are poor, and water sources are inadequate, with indications that the situation will continue to deteriorate. 2,236 cases of cholera have been recorded between 1-22 January across Somalia with a case fatality rate of 1.4%.
Health is of concern as a cholera outbreak affects Bay, Bakool, and Gedo. General acute malnutrition rates of between 16.5% and 21.8% affected all assessed populations in July 2016, with conditions deteriorating further since then.