Humanitarian Context
The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains critical. In February 2012, the end of famine was declared, largely due to the delivery of aid under extremely difficult conditions and the exceptional harvest at the start of the year. Humanitarian actors have built on these gains, and continue to provide life-saving assistance and implementing programmes to strengthen people's coping mechanisms.
Despite the progress, 3.8 million people in Somalia are in need of life-saving assistance or other crucial humanitarian support. An estimated 2.1 million people are still in crisis, unable to meet their basic needs without assistance (these most vulnerable include an estimated 1.1 million internally displaced people). The remaining 1.7 million people in need have only emerged from crisis in the past year, and could fall back into crisis without support to maintain their livelihoods.