New York, USA – The United Nations has warned of a worsening hunger crisis in Somalia due to two consecutive seasons of poor rainfall. Conflict and insecurity continue to exacerbate the situation. Furthermore, humanitarian funding has drastically decreased, according to the World Food Programme.
Dangerous indicators for food security
Ross Smith, director of the program’s emergency preparedness and response division, confirmed that nearly a quarter of Somalia’s population, approximately 4.4 million people, are facing severe food crisis levels. Among them, nearly one million are suffering from acute hunger. Furthermore, more than two million children are suffering from acute malnutrition, according to the program. Nearly half a million people have also been displaced in the past five months.
The lack of resources is exacerbating the crisis.
Smith noted that the program is only able to reach one in seven people in need due to a lack of resources. As a result, the program has been forced to repeatedly reduce vital aid, according to the UN official. He added that current support is reaching only 640,000 people out of the 4.4 million facing catastrophic levels of hunger. By comparison, 2.2 million people received food assistance during the same period last year.
The importance of urgent international action
The UN official stressed the need to scale up the response to meet the urgent food and nutritional needs of millions of Somalis and prevent famine. Furthermore, the World Food Programme emphasized the importance of strengthening communities’ resilience to shocks and extreme weather events.
Protecting the most vulnerable groups
The program emphasized that women and children are the most affected by the food crisis. It also stressed the urgent need for the international community to act to ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable groups in a timely manner.
