MOGADISHU, July 4 (Xinhua) -- An estimated number of people who have been displaced by the severe drought ravaging several parts of Somalia has risen to over 761,000 since November 2016, the UN said on Tuesday.
The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report that over 22,000 displacements were recorded between June 1 and 23.
The UN said out of 22,000, 13,500 individuals arrived in Baidoa town from remote villages in Berdaale, Dinsoor and Qansahdhere districts in Bay region and Rabdhuure district in Bakool.
The UN said the cities of Baidoa which had 174,280 of those displaced while Mogadishu (161,100) host 44 percent of these displaced people.
"As of June 23, 16,300 IDPs are reported to have returned to their places of origin in Bay and Bakool regions, with 60 percent of them returning in June. In 2017, 29,087 Somali refugees returned to Somalia," said the UN.
According to the UN humanitarian agency, some 3,769 Somali refugees returned - 3,158 from Kenya, 417 from Yemen, and 197 from Djibouti - in May alone.
Humanitarian agencies say the severe drought has made local communities more vulnerable. Most have been forced to sell their assets and borrow food and money to survive.
The Horn of Africa nation is in the midst of a drought after rains failed in November 2016, for a third year in the row.
Humanitarians in Somalia are seeking over 800 million U.S. dollars to reach the most vulnerable with life-saving assistance until June.
According to the UN, donors have been quick with their contributions for a scale-up of response and over 600 million dollars has been made available or pledged for humanitarian response since January.
