FAO Somalia Emergency Head Aneel Memon warns of a severe humanitarian crisis resulting from protracted drought in south-central and northern Somalia

Aneel, what was the objective of your visit to Puntland?

“To conduct an inter-cluster/agency monitoring and drought assessment across Puntland – specifically in villages around the cities of Bosaso, Qardho and Garowe to verify the impact of the drought, population movements, service gaps and programmatic needs so that we can inform and prioritize emergency response planning.”

How badly has the drought affected livestock and crops?

 “The impact is significant. There are no crops in the fields due to lack of germination or wilting. The body condition of many livestock is very poor, with high mortality rates reported along with sharp price drops of small ruminants such as cows, sheep, and goats] down between 40–50% and camels by around 40%. The markets have also been disrupted because weakened animals are difficult to move or sell. Just as worrying is the fact that pasture and water are widely depleted, with many berkads [small water reservoirs] and shallow wells either becoming dry or saline. Crop production has stopped in many areas. The situation is getting more severe as food for humans and livestock becomes increasingly scarce.”

FAO is working with the local community in Puntland to devise drought alleviation measures.  ©FAO

How important are livestock and crops to local people?

“The area is agropastoral and therefore crop and animal production are the major livelihood activities which contribute to household food and nutrition security. Livestock provides food such as milk and meat, as well as income, and social safety nets. Crops on the other hand (when they are produced) play a vital role in supplementing diets and income. The loss of these assets directly undermines food and nutrition security and livelihoods. Livestock represents far more than an economic asset as it is a cornerstone of prestige, survival, and social identity. Consequently, the loss of herds due to drought or disease has profound impacts that extend beyond financial hardship, eroding cultural values, social cohesion, and community resilience”

How is FAO supporting local people?

“FAO supports households in underserved and hard-to-access rural areas. Our emergency interventions are being implemented across Somalia. They are not limited to Puntland. We aim to act early to mitigate the impact of the drought in underserved       rural and access-constrained areas.  Currently FAO is providing critical humanitarian assistance through:

• The provision of cash transfers (in three monthly instalments) to 14,700 households (88,200 individuals) across the country in Bay, Hiran, Mudug, Bakool and Galgaduud regions;
• The provision of animal treatments to 1.2 million animals belonging to 22,025 households in drought-affected regions of Bay, Hiran, Mudug and Galgaduud regions;
• The provision of fodder seeds and training in climate resilient fodder production to 5,700 households (34,200 individuals) in Hiran and Bay regions.
• The provision of critical water infrastructure and conditional cash transfers to 6,500 households (39,000 Individuals) in drought hotspots in Bay, Hiran, and Mudug regions.
• The supply of the latest drought data to The Somali Drought management Agency (SoDMA).”

How would you describe the mood of the local population in Puntland to the drought?

“They are anxious, exhausted, and increasingly desperate. Households report one meal a day and frequently resort to what we call Negative Coping Mechanisms that include migration and family separations. We are becomingly increasingly concerned about children’s nutrition which is directly linked to animal health and survival.”

The danger is that in Puntland – as in other areas of Somalia - the more the drought persists, the greater the number of people who will be displaced.  ©FAO

What is FAO's message to the donors in relation to Puntland?

“Immediate, scaled up, and flexible funding is required now to avert erosion of livelihoods especially in rural and inaccessible areas of Puntland. Assets need to be protected, malnutrition curbed among other negative coping strategies such as mass displacement and migrations. FAO’s priorities: include emergency food assistance (sectorial cash), water trucking and rehabilitation of critical infrastructure including borehole repairs. We also need to scale-up livestock interventions, emergency animal health support, fodder distribution, nutrition and water and sanitation programmes. Early funding will be more cost-effective than a late response.”

What is the worst-case scenario if drought persists in this part of the world?

“Large-scale livestock mortality, the collapse of pastoral livelihoods, more acute food insecurity and mass displacements to urban sites for Internally Displaced People (IDP). We will see rising acute malnutrition and disease outbreaks (Acute Watery Diarrhoea/cholera), and longer-term loss of productive capacity It's no exaggeration to say we’re at risk of humanitarian challenge. Under the IPC food security classification system, many areas of Puntland are moving into Category three and above (defined as a crisis) with a consequent a regional spill-over of people.”

A poignant depiction of drought’s devastating impact on livestock, highlighting parched land and emaciated animals as symbols of climate stress and food insecurity.  ©FAO

What are FAO's short medium- and long-term priorities for the region?

“In the short term ( the immediate few weeks ahead) FAO will focus on resource mobilization to support households in rural and access constrained areas before many are displaced. Sector specific lifesaving support will be provided to vulnerable households in IPC 4 and above. Water trucking, provision of supplemental animal feeds and provision of animal treatment remains critical to protect livelihoods of agropastoral communities. FAO will strengthen the early warning early action information systems to enhance community preparedness for future shocks. This will ensure humanitarian actions are evidence-based, targeted and timely.

“In the medium term (the next one to six months) we will aim to restore productive infrastructure in readiness for the Gu seasonal rains including the rehabilitation of boreholes and water points, support cash-for-work initiatives and reseeding of rangeland, while strengthening veterinary services and agrovets (rural supply stores).

“In the long term (after six months onwards) our priorities include the restoration of rangelands and the water infrastructure, and the strengthening of resilience through livelihood diversification and social protection linkages. We will also aim to reinforce market and early warning systems (Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM) and the Food Security Nutrition and Analysis Unit (FSNAU) to ensure durable community preparedness.”

The situation is especially bad for IDPs?

“Yes. IDP sites are receiving new arrivals, hampering water, sanitation, health, and nutrition services which are overstretched if they exist at all. Moreover, because IDPs face a heightened risk of malnutrition and disease because sanitation is so poor. The mission I was on found many newly displaced households and weakened protection/health capacities in IDP settlements. Extreme drought conditions have moreover severely impacted agropastoral households in underserved, rural, and access- constrained areas, eroding their livelihoods. Unable to meet critical food and   non-food needs, many households are resorting to negative coping strategies, including drought induced migration. The movement of communities to internal IDP camps is expected to increase pressure on already limited resources. Conditions in these camps remain harsh, particularly for newly displaced populations, their suffering made worse because of inadequate funding. Widespread food and nutrition insecurity is likely to persist throughout 2026 in both rural areas and IDP camps, driven by production disruptions and the inability of physically able producers to resume livelihood activities.''