MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia’s southwest state President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Lafta Garen on Saturday urged the federal government, UN agencies and humanitarian partners to urgently intervene in Bakol province.

His request came after he visited Hudur, the capital of the Bakol region.

“Today I visited Hudur, and I appeal to the FGS [Federal Government of Somalia], UN Agencies and Humanitarian Partners, & Donors, for an urgent humanitarian intervention to save lives,” Hassan said \ on Twitter.

He said the region faces serious food insecurity because of the Somali-based Al-Qaeda affiliated militant group, al-Shabaab’s, blockade in recent years.

Government forces and regional soldiers are in control of major towns in the region but al-Shabaab controls the countryside which has caused a humanitarian crisis.

Humanitarian access has been further complicated by climatic events and the condition of infrastructure such as roads and bridges, according to the UN.

“As of 28 December 2020, donors generously provided 81.6 per cent of the US$1.01 billion requested in the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), enabling partners to reach more than 2 million people with life-saving assistance,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said earlier this month.

Somalia continues to face multiple threats, including the coronavirus pandemic, desert locusts and little rainfall from the Deyr season, according to the UN.

Cyclone Gati that hit the northeast in November, caused flash floods resulting in crop, livestock and property losses, with 120,000 residents affected, including the displacement of 42,100.