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Somaliland declares national emergency as drought worsens in Awdal and Salal

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Somaliland declares national emergency as drought worsens in Awdal and Salal
Tuesday July 22, 2025

Somaliland declares national emergency as drought worsens in Awdal and SalalFILE - President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro

Hargeisa (HOL) — Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro on Tuesday declared a national emergency and ordered the immediate launch of emergency relief operations after severe drought conditions threatened lives and livelihoods across several regions, particularly Awdal and Salal in the country’s west.

In a televised statement, President Irro said the government was activating a national-level drought response plan to address the escalating crisis, which he described as the worst dry spell the self-declared republic has faced in seven years. The plan includes the urgent delivery of food, clean water, medicine, and other essential supplies to communities hardest hit by the prolonged absence of rainfall.

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“The drought situation is rapidly worsening, and we must act now,” Irro said. “The government has prepared a coordinated response, but we are calling on the private sector and development partners to join us. This is a national responsibility.”

The western regions of Awdal and Salal have been hardest hit by the drought, which has dried up grazing land and water sources, placing pastoralist communities at heightened risk. Residents in rural areas report the widespread death of livestock and the migration of families in search of water and pasture.

The failed Gu rains earlier this year and the absence of expected summer rainfall have compounded the crisis. Strong, dry winds have replaced seasonal showers, further drying up wells and riverbeds. Government officials say the pattern reflects the increasing severity of climate shocks in the Horn of Africa, where rain-dependent economies are vulnerable to prolonged dry spells.

Humanitarian agencies and local aid workers warn that the crisis is being exacerbated by a sharp decline in foreign assistance. USAID, which has long supported drought response in Somaliland, has pulled back operations in the region, citing global funding shortfalls. The Somaliland government now faces the challenge of responding to a nationwide emergency with limited financial and logistical capacity.

Officials have mobilized regional authorities to begin damage assessments and facilitate the distribution of relief supplies. However, they stress that a broader, coordinated effort—including international donors, local businesses, and the diaspora—is needed to prevent a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains unrecognized internationally, has faced cyclical droughts over the past decade. Aid organizations are urging both emergency aid and long-term solutions such as investment in sustainable water systems, climate-resilient agriculture, and early warning infrastructure to build resilience against future shocks.

President Irro said the government would continue to monitor the situation closely and revise its response strategy as needed. For now, he warned, the focus must remain on saving lives.

“Our people are suffering from hunger and thirst,” he said. “We must come together, as a nation, to meet this challenge head-on.”



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