Mogadishu – Concerns are mounting that Somalia’s ongoing drought will intensify as anticipated seasonal rains have not arrived, compelling thousands of families to abandon their homes in pursuit of water and grazing land, authorities reported.

Extensive areas of the nation are confronting critical water deficiencies, with pastoralist communitieswhose livelihoods depend entirely on their livestockbearing the brunt. Accounts from various districts reveal extensive animal mortality and mounting strain on limited existing resources.

Mohamud Moallim Abdulle, commissioner of the National Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), informed a gathering in Mogadishu that the developing emergency mirrored the catastrophic “3.5” drought that affected the nation decades prior, which he noted resulted in over 40,000 fatalities.

“Among the regions most severely impacted at present is Galmudug,” he stated, cautioning that circumstances could deteriorate quickly without immediate humanitarian aid.

SoDMA, the governmental body overseeing disaster readiness and response, has issued multiple warnings in recent weeks regarding the escalating drought situation.

The agency has called upon the global community and Somali expatriates to organize emergency assistance to avert additional loss of life and means of subsistence.

The current year’s drought appears poised to rank among the most severe in recent history, with weather experts unable to determine when the significantly delayed precipitation might eventually commence.