Somalia — Humanitarian Response Annual Report (2017)

Somalia continued to face drought conditions in 2017 due to four consecutive rainy seasons. The November 2016-2017 drought, forced over one million individuals into other regions of Somalia, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to over 2 million, further exacerbating existing vulnerabilities, particularly among women, children, elderly, persons with disabilities and marginalized communities. The overall number of people in need of humanitarian assistance reached 6.2 million, more than 40 per cent of the population. Massive migration from rural to urban and peri-urban centres in Somalia placed strain on the already stressed capacity of municipalities to provide basic services such as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health. Lack of potable water, adequate sanitation facilities, and hygiene practices coupled with poor health infrastructure led to an increase in disease outbreak. Despite a decline in recent months, the number of measles continue to remain at epidemic levels with more than 20,000 cases recorded since January, four times higher than in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Somalia registered over 60,000 cases of AWD/Cholera cases with 821 cholera related deaths across 55 districts. Of the affected districts, 34 were classified as difficult to access for implementing partners. Although two major communicable diseases were contained, strengthening access to basic services continues to be a priority to reduce the level of vulnerability and need. The ongoing conflict contributes to persistent instability reducing the resilience of communities, triggering displacement and impeding civilians’ access to basic services and humanitarians’ access to those in need. The operating environment in Somalia continues to be among the most challenging. The underserved districts remain with limited access to life-saving assistance, crisis-affected communities in these areas are disproportionally affected by food insecurity, malnutrition, disease outbreaks and inadequate WASH services. 

Since 2006, IOM has been providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to migrants and mobile populations in Somalia, including IDPs, and host community members. In 2018, IOM Somalia’s Preparedness and Response Division (PRD) which includes Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), Shelter and Non-Food Items (S-NFI), Health, WASH, Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) and Protection will continue to respond to the severe ongoing drought.