MOGADISHU (SD) – The United Nations reported that the ongoing war in Ukraine has affected the emergency response to the current severe drought in Somalia, which has forced around 671,000 people to flee their homes.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, addressed local reporters in Nairobi, confirming that the UN needs to secure $1.46 billion to cover the dire and devastating drought in Somalia.

“The outlook was already grim prior to the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. We have been overshadowed by the crisis in Tigray, Yemen, Afghanistan and now Ukraine seems to suck all the oxygen that is in the room,” stated Adam Abdelmoula.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, further discussed the situation in the country in the press conference, “Around 671,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in search of water, food or pasture for their livestock, more than double the 245,000 who were displaced in December.”

The crisis in Ukraine has been escalating and has been in a state of war with Russia for 15 consecutive days. The UN is concerned that the predicament in Ukraine is overshadowing the catastrophe in Somalia.

The next rainy season in Somalia is predicted to be in April, with the country not receiving adequate rain for the past three rainy seasons, and many civilians dying of starvation and dehydration.