Commissioned by the UNICEF Regional Office and the World Health Organization (WHO) Somalia country office and carried out by LSHTM, the study presents retrospective estimates of mortality across Somalia from January to December 2022. The highest death rates were estimated to have occurred in south-central Somalia, especially the areas around Bay, Bakool and Banadir regions, the current epicentre of the drought. The research is highly concerning and should spur countries to action – but the world remains indifferent.

The United Nations has reported that due to five consecutive unsuccessful rainy seasons, half of Somalia's population of 17 million people require immediate assistance. Despite some experts anticipating a famine declaration last year, certain regions of the country were able to avoid such a classification. An estimated 43,000 Somalis died during the country's longest ever drought last year, half of them likely to have been children under five years old, according to a new report.

LSHTM notes that the current estimates of the ongoing drought crisis in the Horn of Africa are comparable to those observed during the 2017-2018 drought, and there is a potential for the figures to increase to alarming levels, even surpassing the previous record. This crisis is considered one of the worst hunger emergencies in the last 70 years, and immediate action is necessary to improve the situation and prevent excess deaths.