Somali aid workers are concerned about the decreasing amount of aid offered to the country by donors. As the country faces its worst drought in decades, aid agencies predict a reduction in humanitarian assistance.
They claim that donor fatigue, as well as multiple crises around the world requiring humanitarian aid, such as the Turkey earthquake crisis, could lead to a drop in the amount of aid offered to Somalia.
According to Mohamed Abdi, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, many donors will aid Somalia while also supporting other humanitarian causes, resulting in resources being stretched too thin all around.
This year, the government and humanitarian organizations requested $2.6 billion to assist approximately 7.6 million people by 2023. However, if the aid reduction issue is confirmed, this figure may not be met.
A spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) commented on the situation, saying that while the need for aid in Somalia is growing, donor support is decreasing. He also mentioned that donor funding will be lower this year.
In the last two years, OCHA’s appeals for donor assistance to Somalia have fallen short of their expectations. In 2021, OCHA received 78% of the $1.09 billion appeal, while only 67% of the $2.27 billion appeal was received in 2022.
“An anticipated reduction in funding for humanitarian assistance in crucial sectors is part of the calculus for the famine projection from April to June,” the spokesperson reiterated.
In contrast, the Norwegian Refugee Council, which requested $40 million in donor support last year, only received 40% of it. “Definitely we’ll not be able to reach the number of people that we have planned to reach if we are not getting assistance from humanitarian donors,” Abdi explained.
Meanwhile, the United States pledged to continue supporting Somalia but admitted that it could not do so alone. A US embassy official in Mogadishu said in a statement, “The generous resources that the American people have given to this response to date have been integral in saving lives and preventing the onset of famine and widespread mortality. However, we cannot do this alone and are calling on all donors to do their part to help sustain and further scale up the humanitarian response to ensure that assistance continues at the levels necessary.”
Amid the looming threat of famine, the government and UN officials in the country hope donors will step up with support.
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