MOGADISHU (Realist English). There are 6 million people on the verge of famine in Somalia. Which is almost 40% of the population and there is a real risk of famine in some areas if the current rainy season fails, UN humanitarian agencies warn.
“The reality is such that time is not on our side: without urgent funding, Somalis will lose their meager livelihoods and many may die.” said Adam Abdelmoula, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary—General, UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.
Still, the situation continues to deteriorate, especially in the six most arid regions of the country.
“There is no rain in Somalia for the third consecutive season, the dried-up land does not yield crops. Weather disasters coincided with protracted conflicts and mass displacement of the population. Since the beginning of this year alone, the number of people facing acute food shortages has doubled. This was a consequence of the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation.” the UN explained.
Children under the age of five found themselves in a particularly dire situation. Experts fear that 330 thousand children will face the risk of hunger by the end of this year. In general, 1.4 million of young Somalis will be malnourished.
Somalis faced a similar crisis in 2011, when 250 thousand people died of famine.
As of February 2022, humanitarian agencies have provided humanitarian assistance to almost two million people, but due to scarce funding, they cannot support and expand their operations.
