It is the worst drought in a decade and the number of people in need of immediate assistance and protection has drastically increased compared to six months ago, when one million people were identified as needing assistance.
It is the worst drought in a decade.
Carrying a gun in Somalia is a natural thing. We are not going to change the culture of Somalis overnight.
When we speak about 1.7 million people in need of urgent assistance, we refer to a food security, water, health, nutrition and protection crisis.
We need across the board support and commitment of everyone to ensure access and protection so that we can alleviate the suffering of Somalis.
I am confident that they (the government) are moving forward but we shouldn't expect too much too soon. There's been chaos and fighting for much more than 15 years and you can't fix that in a short time.
We need external assistance. It is not a dry season or a drought period, it's a drought.
The drought compounds what was already a dire humanitarian situation and is affecting communities in areas beset by years of high malnutrition and morbidity rates, chronic food insecurity, clan fighting and suffering from consecutive bad harvests.
The opening of the academy is a historic moment. It is the first such national institution that has been built in Somalia for a long time.
The men and women who finish this course will be proper officers. They will be paid when they leave this compound - through international assistance and Somalia?s own revenues.
