Somalia is particularly vulnerable to droughts, mainly because of its geographical location, the fragile environment, the variable climate and the political instability in the country. Droughts have disastrous impacts on Somali communities. In recent times, severe droughts in Somalia occurred in 1964, 1969, 1974, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2011. The number of persons affected is not reliable and differs depending on different sources. This fact, together with other reasons, reinforces the need for developing more objective measures which reflect the real severity of droughts. Without objective indicators it is very difficult to take appropriate mitigation measures to reduce the effects of a drought or move towards any kind of drought monitoring and early warning.