The Commissioner of the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), Mr. Mahamoud Moallim Abdulle, convened a critical strategic meeting today with the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), alongside representatives from various local and international aid organizations, to address the severe and worsening drought currently affecting all regions of Somalia.
The high-level session emphasized the urgent need for a coordinated and rapid national response to the escalating climate crisis. Commissioner Abdulle highlighted that the drought has reached an extremely critical stage, causing profound impacts on livelihoods, food security, and water availability across the country. He warned that without immediate and coordinated action, the humanitarian situation could further deteriorate, affecting millions of vulnerable Somali citizens.
During his address, the Commissioner conveyed the deep concern expressed by both President Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre regarding the humanitarian outlook. He reiterated the top leadership’s directive that all government agencies must cooperate fully with SoDMA, emphasizing its mandate as the sole official authority responsible for coordinating aid and disaster response across the nation.
“We must act swiftly and move in lockstep to save lives,” Commissioner Abdulle stated, underscoring the urgency of aligning all humanitarian interventions under SoDMA’s guidance. He called on all humanitarian partners to strictly adhere to SoDMA’s new regulatory frameworks and operational procedures to ensure a streamlined, efficient, and effective delivery of aid, particularly to the most vulnerable communities.
The Commissioner also highlighted the challenges posed by a significant global reduction in donor funding, noting that this decline in financial support has severely hampered ongoing drought mitigation efforts. To counter these challenges, he proposed:
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Immediate and inclusive planning involving all stakeholders, ensuring no community is left behind.
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Establishment of predictable and sustainable funding mechanisms from both domestic and international sources.
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Strategic restructuring of support programs to focus on districts facing the most severe drought conditions and to maximize the impact of limited resources.
The meeting concluded with a strong consensus among all participants on the necessity of a unified front to mobilize resources, coordinate interventions, and implement rapid, life-saving measures before the situation escalates further. The session underscored the importance of collaboration, transparency, and proactive planning as Somalia faces one of the most severe droughts in recent memory.
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