More than half of the population in Somalia is now suffering from the drought. As the crisis continues to spread many regions remain isolated from aid. The Danish Refugee Council is now assessing options to launch relief operations in south Somalia where aid is still not reaching.

The overwhelming majority of people affected by the famine in Somalia are in the southern part of the country. Here, new areas have officially been declared famine-hit by the UN and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. And the development is expected to continue with a bleak outlook for the whole South Central Somalia.

The number of people in crisis in Somalia has gone up to 3.7 from 2.85 million since June 2011. This leaves more than half of the estimated population in Somalia in need of humanitarian aid with more than 80 percent of them being located in south Somalia.

The Danish Refugee Council, being one of the few international NGOs with an outreach to insecure and isolated areas, plans to expand activities further in south Somalia. This is where large numbers of Somalis are seeking aid and refugee, and with many crossing the border to neighboring Kenya.

There is an exodus of people fleeing insecurity and starvation and we are constantly searching for any possible chance to intervene and assist. With large flows of people moving towards border areas with Kenya we are right now assessing the situation there with an aim to improve ways of providing relief to people otherwise cut off from lifesaving aid,’ says Peter Klansoe, Regional Director for the Danish Refugee Council in the Horn of Africa and Yemen.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have already fled their homes and more are following. Many have crossed the borders to Kenya and Ethiopia in search of food, water, and protection. Inside Somalia, the epicenter of the humanitarian crisis, there has been large displacements of people fleeing rural famine affected areas seeking towards the capital. Despite moving towards the frontline of the civil war, many have settled in Mogadishu being one of the places where aid is provided.

The Danish Refugee Council’s response to famine in Mogadishu includes the provision of daily meals from a number of mobile kitchens feeding more than 100,000 people, assistance to newly arrivals, as well as a new and comprehensive cash relief programme.

The drought named as the worst in 60 years has hit Somalia on top of two decades of civil war and unrest. Large parts of the country continue to be inaccessible to international organisations. With the drought leading to food prices spiraling, the instability and lack of security, the humanitarian space for aid agencies is limited. This remains a challenge not least with the ongoing drought and famine expected to last till March next year.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has been working with displaced populations in Somalia since 1998, and today the organisation is present with operations in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Yemen.

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