The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, called on the international community, including UN agencies and civil society organizations, to scale up assistance to address the dire humanitarian situation in hunger-stricken Somalia. Speaking at the London Conference for Somalia, held on 11 May 2017, Dr. Al-Othaimeen urged the international community to invest in agriculture, livestock and fisheries, help advance energy infrastructure, forgo Somalia's debts and assist in restructuring security services in the country. He warned that Somalia is on the brink of a catastrophic famine brought on by acute drought conditions compounded by years of poor rainfall that has affected the entire region of the Horn of Africa where over 17 million are facing terrible hunger. "In Somalia alone, more than 6 million - about half the population - are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance," he stressed. Further, the OIC Secretary General said stability in Somalia is about to suffer a serious setback amid a grave humanitarian situation marked by rising internal displacement, economic regression and growing trends of extremism, which may seriously affect the entire African continent given the strategic geographical location of Somalia.
