Somalia dodged a bullet — or so it seemed. More than 1 billion dollars, mostly from the United States, helped avert fears that famine would strike this East African country in 2023. Over several months in 2022, a U.S.-backed United Nations aid campaign went from providing food to 2 million people a month to 5.4 million, according to U.N. estimates.
The specter of mass hunger continues to stalk Somalia, where five dismal rainy seasons have caused historic levels of drought, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians into camps for the displaced, and now El Niño is delivering a season of deadly flooding. As of Nov. 24, heavy rains and flooding have affected some 1.7 million people, displacing nearly 700,000 from their homes.
And the U.N. has forecast worse weather ahead.
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
