United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived Tuesday morning in the Somali capital of Mogadishu at the start of a visit to Somalia, which has been plagued by protracted conflict and climate disasters. Photos shared on social media. They showed Foreign Minister of Somalia Absher Omar Harusi receiving the Secretary-General of the United Nations at Mogadishu airport.
Somalia imposed a quarantine on the capital, Mogadishu, on the occasion of the unannounced visit, with most roads closed and public transport limited, AFP reported.
Guterres visited him at a time when the country is suffering from a catastrophic drought that has put many on the brink of starvation, and the government is engaged in a bloody rebellion.
The United Nations has launched an appeal to raise $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid to the people of Somalia, but has yet to raise only 13% of the funds needed.
Five consecutive disastrous rainy seasons in parts of Somalia, as well as in Kenya and Ethiopia, have resulted in the worst drought in the region in four decades, destroying livestock and crops and forcing more than 1.7 million people to leave their homes in search of food. and water.
The UN estimates that about half of the population will need humanitarian assistance this year as 8.3 million people were affected by the drought.
“The crisis is not over yet, the needs are still great and urgent,” Adam Abdullah, the UN Coordinator for Somalia, said last week in Geneva, warning that “some of the hardest hit areas still face the risk of famine.”
