Mogadishu, Dec 10 : Severe drought and conflict have caused more than 2.4 million displacements in Somalia since the start of 2021, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said. The UN refugee agency on Friday added that the ravaging drought is attributed to 1.3 million displaced people in search of food, livelihoods and water, with 1.1 million due to conflict, Xinhua news agency reported. "The number of droughts- and conflict-induced displacements reported so far in 2022 have surpassed the last highest number recorded in 2017, the peak of the previous drought," it said in its latest update. According to the UNHCR, Somali women, children, and men are already facing serious threats to their physical safety and other life-threatening protection risks. "The worsening drought and subsequent food scarcity risk are increasing these threats and risks whilst exacerbating existing ones. This is against a backdrop of increasing humanitarian needs, access and security constraints, rapid urbanisation, and structural issues that lead to the exclusion of minority groups," it said. Somalia is currently facing one of the most severe droughts in history, with a looming famine and the possibility of severe loss of life due to hunger, malnutrition and disease. /IANS