Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Somalia.

The UK is deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in Somalia. The UK is working closely with the Somalian Government, the UN and partners to support an early and rapid response.

Eighty percent of the country is now facing severe famine, and the Government of Somalia has declared a 'humanitarian emergency'. There is the potential for famine if the situation doesn't improve and effective international action isn't mobilised. Multiple shocks, including threats from Covid-19, desert locusts and floods, have deepened Somalia's protracted climate and conflict-induced humanitarian crisis with over 7.7 million people expected to be in need of assistance and disrupted progress towards stability and economic recovery. In 2020 the UK provided 2.5 million vulnerable Somalis with life-saving cash assistance (874,409), nutrition (303,938), health (453,639) and emergency WASH-Water and Sanitation (895,002).