MOGADISHU, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance dropped from 6.7 million at the peak of the crisis in 2017 to 4.6 million by September, the UN humanitarian agency said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) however said continued strong support from donors will be required to sustain the life-saving assistance early in 2019, alongside scaling up livelihood and resilience support despite improvements in the humanitarian situation.
OCHA attributed improved food security to sustained humanitarian response and above-average rainfall between April and June.
The Horn of Africa nation experienced a prolonged drought from late 2016 through late 2017 that resulted in significant livestock losses and consecutive seasons of below-average production, causing severe and at times extreme acute food insecurity.
However, according to the FAO-led Somalia Water and Land Information Management, rainfall in October has been below average across most parts of Somalia.
It said rainfall performance in November and December will determine the impact of the Deyr season on food production.
