UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has this morning arrived in the country, on a visit of solidarity, to assess the ongoing humanitarian crisis. His visit comes amidst an ongoing battle with severe drought, floods, and Islamist insurgents. In turn, Guterres has appealed for massive international support to combat the situation and rebuild the country.
Guterres, who is making his second visit to the country, held a joint press conference with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. During the conference, he highlighted the need for urgent international support to address the humanitarian difficulties Somalia is facing. He also expressed his desire to help build Somalia’s security capacity and encourage its development.
“I am also here to ring the alarm on the need for massive international support… because of the humanitarian difficulties the country is facing,” he said
The United Nations has launched a $2.6 billion call for humanitarian assistance, but Guterres revealed that the appeal was only 15 percent funded.
During his visit, the UN chief is scheduled to tour a camp for internally displaced people and meet with various stakeholders to discuss how best to address the crisis.
“Although Somalis make virtually no contribution to climate change… the Somalis are among the greatest victims. Nearly five million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, and of course rising prices make matters worse. So I call on donors, and I call on the international community to step up their support to urgently fund the 2023 humanitarian response plan, which is currently just 15% funded.”
UN chief Antonio Guterres
On his end, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud expressed his gratitude for the visit, saying it was a gesture of solidarity towards the government and the democratic process of Somalia. The President also emphasized the need for arms embargo lifting as well as more investments into the stabilization efforts to make sure people in the recently liberated areas from Alshabab get government services. He went on to say that the visit ensured that the United Nations was fully committed to supporting the country’s plans for state-building.
