Visiting Somalia, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met displaced people in the Baidoa camp.
The country, marked in particular by a permanent security crisis due to a bloody Islamist insurrection, has since last year declared a “total war” opposite Al-Shabaab. More than 3,000 al-Shabaab fighters have been killed since the launch of the offensive last September, according to the government.
He also said 70 towns and villages had been “liberated” from al-Shabaab, which has been fighting the fragile central government for more than 15 years.
“First of all, I am encouraged by the fact that we now have the capacity of the Somalis to gradually increase their ability to liberate areas from the Shabaab, they have already done so in other parts of the territory. I hope they will be able to do that here as well. »explained the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Antonio Guterres spoke to the families living in these makeshift shelters through a translator. He called on the international community to resolve the humanitarian drama he witnessed in this camp.
In Somalia, 5 million people face high levels of food insecurity due to drought.
“What is dramatic is that there have been five consecutive years of drought. The people I have met have lost their livestock, they have lost their possessions, they have lost everything, so this combination of terrorism and drought largely caused by climate change creates a perfect storm for the people of Somalia and requires support massive on the part of the international community. »said Antonio Guterres.
In March, seasonal rains caused flooding that killed 21 people and displaced more than 100,000, according to the United Nations.
“We have six million people who need help, we have appealed to the international community, and only 15% of that appeal is funded so far. The international community has shown indifference to the tragedy of the Somali people. It is time to look seriously at this people who suffer too much. », he added.
Although famine thresholds have not been reached in Somalia, the United Nations says around half the population will need humanitarian assistance this year, with 8.3 million people affected by drought.