The World Bank has approved a fund of 64.3 million dollars to bolster humanitarian response efforts for the victims of drought in the Somali Regional State. Its officials announced the decision last week while on a field visit to the region's World Bank supported projects. In attendance were the Bank's country director Ousmane Dione, officials from the Ministry of Finance, and Mustafe Omer, president of the regional state. The Somali and Oromia regional states are in the grip of a devastating drought with 10 and eight zones in each region, respectively, seeing residents displaced and recording the deaths of millions of cattle. By the beginning of this month, over 1.4 million heads of cattle had died in the Somali region alone. Humanitarian organisations estimate that around seven million livelihoods in the regions are affected by what the UN called the worst drought the country has experienced in four decades. Millions are suffering in neighbouring Somalia and Kenya as well.

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