Somalia: the risk of famine is “greater than ever”, warns the UN

The United Nations has once again sounded the alarm very loudly on the risk of a serious food crisis.

In Somalia, the situation continues to deteriorate due to the ongoing extreme drought. The risk of starvation is greater than ever. The alert was issued on Monday, June 6, 2022, through a new report from the Famine Early Warning Network and the United Nations Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Food and Agriculture (FAO), based on a rapid assessment of several UN agencies.

Several failed rainy seasons causing soaring prices and an underfunded humanitarian response have led to a 160% increase in the number of people facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, hunger and disease in Somalia, according to a new report. UN assessment.

In total, some 7.1 million people, almost half of the population, are currently suffering from hunger, but for the 213,000 people most affected, the situation is now catastrophic and urgent. They call on the international community to urgently increase the aid already provided to this country in order to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.

The impact of the war in Ukraine
Three million head of cattle have died due to drought since mid-2021, a disastrous toll for a largely pastoral country where families depend on their herds for meat, milk and trade. Food prices are also soaring, boosted by poor local harvests and soaring import costs caused in part by the war in Ukraine.

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