Somalia is going through a historic dry spell, the likes of which have not been seen in more than 40 years, and that could kill nearly 330,000 children across the country from starvation, according to the UN.
The United Nations has warned of t severe drought in Somalia, as the country facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, malnutrition and famine, stressing that hundreds of thousands of Somalis are one step away from starvation.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a press conference in New York that after four consecutive dry seasons in Somalia, the fifth is likely to be catastrophic, coming after the worst drought in 40 years.
He added that Somalia is on the brink of disaster, with hundreds of thousands of people one step away from famine, and the catastrophic food insecurity was confirmed for the first time since 2017, affecting more than 213,000 people.
He highlighted that humanitarian colleagues have told them that 7.1 million Somalis are facing acute food insecurity, and some 6.4 million others lack access to safe water and sanitation.
He said that since last January; At least 500 children died due to malnutrition and disease across Somalia, adding that it is estimated that about 1.5 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition.
The World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed in a joint statement that the risk of famine is looming more than ever.
The number of people facing “catastrophic levels” of food insecurity, famine and disease has risen by 160 percent due to “the failure of the fourth consecutive rainy season, massive price hikes and an underfunded humanitarian response,” UN agencies said.
