UN-Chairman appeals for urgent international assistance in Somalia

Guterres said Somalia needs massive international support not only to respond to the humanitarian crisis, but also for the country's stabilization efforts and security. Somalia is conducting operations against al-Shabaab in the central and southern parts of the country.

Ahmed Omar, associate director of World Vision Somalia, told Voice of America that Guterres' visit raises the profile of the humanitarian situation in Somalia and demonstrates the UN's solidarity with the country's most vulnerable people. In January, the Somali government and the United Nations launched a humanitarian appeal of $2.6 billion for 2023. However, less than 20 percent of those applications have been funded.

.Along with the drought, Somalia is also facing deadly fighting in the contested city of Las An, which has left hundreds dead and displaced thousands more. The war against al-Shabaab is also going on in the southern part of the country.

Guterres first visited Somalia in March 2017. At that time the country was facing an even more severe drought. The United Nations warned that there was a risk of famine. Somalia hopes that Guterres' visit will highlight the urgency and importance of the current situation and provoke a swift international response.