Mogadishu – The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, has highlighted the need for urgent funding to relieve the serious humanitarian situation in the country, noting that without additional support, many vulnerable Somalis risked falling deeper into crisis.

“There is a very serious, continuing humanitarian crisis in Somalia and there is an urgent need for extra funding for supporting humanitarian work,” Mr. Kay said at a press conference in Mogadishu on 8 May. “Without additional funding, I am afraid that women, children and vulnerable people will begin to suffer from lack of health care and food. This is an urgent and serious situation.”

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, humanitarian funding for Somalia is just 15 percent funded, with a shortfall of some US$790 million for the year.

“We are watching very carefully the potential for food insecurity in the next months in Somalia – the climatic conditions, the conditions on the ground resulting from the offensive and resulting from Al Shabaab’s action to cut food supplies to towns – all of these give us some serious concerns,” Mr. Kay added.