Amid famine in Somalia, Hassan Sheikh appeals for support

BAIDOA, Somalia - To get the current situation across the country, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud traversed to areas worst affected by drought, especially in Southwest state, which has seen dozens of people get displaced and others die in the past couple of months.

On Wednesday, Hassan Sheikh, who is a few days old in the office, visited several Internally Displaced People [IDPs] I'm Baidoa, the regional administrative capital of Southwest, where he assessed the situation directly from the ground as the government puts various mechanisms to avert the crisis.

During his trip, Hassan Sheikh re-affirmed the government’s commitment to fast-track the emergency response. It was the first time Hassan Sheikh was visiting areas outside Mogadishu since his re-election as president, where he beat his successor Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.

"Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visits an IDP camp in Baidoa to assess the situation of people affected by drought in SWS. The President interacted with the displaced families and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to fast-track coordination of emergency response to the affected areas," state media reported.

President Hassan Mohamud said that the people in the camps have been severely affected by the drought, following his visit to drought-fled people in Baidoa, on Wednesday. “ I am indeed saddened but I also pledged to take action," said the disappointed Head of State.

He seized the opportunity to appeal to the international community to stand with Somalia in the current emergency to tackle droughts. He said the country is facing another emergency situation because of the fragility of state institutions, adding that his administration will try to rectify the situation.

Already, Hassan Sheikh has appointed former presidential candidate Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame as the special envoy for drought. The envoy has since convened a number of meetings with drought response committees which are currently putting mechanisms to ensure all affected people are reached.

The United Kingdom recently released $34 million towards mitigation of drought in the country, with the United Arab Emirates [UAE] adding $9.6 million which had previously been seized by the administration of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, which claimed the money was illegally wired to the country.

Jubaland, Southwest, and HirShabelle are some of the most affected areas, recording even deaths in recent months. Hassan Sheikh now wants well-wishers to chip in and help the country to save millions of people who are currently facing starvation.

GAROWE ONLINE