Severe Hunger Threatens Millions In Somalia As Climate Emergency Deepens

Somalia faces a new humanitarian crisis with more than 2 million people now threatened by severe hunger, aid agencies say.

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A further 3 million people are uncertain of their next meal, latest assessments suggest.

The new emergency comes two years after the threat of a major disaster in the unstable east African state was averted by timely aid from the international community.

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So far donors have promised less than half of the $1bn (£0.8bn) the UN and other agencies say is required.

The average number of people reached with food assistance from January to May this year was only slightly more than half the total over the preceding six months, aid officials say, with many agencies forced to cut back in some areas because the humanitarian appeal for Somalia was so poorly funded.

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The crisis has been aggravated by continuing conflict between al-Shabaab, the Islamic extremist movement that has been fighting for more than a decade to impose strict religious rule on Somalia, and government troops, which are backed by regional forces and US air assets.

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The failed rainy season followed abnormally hot and dry conditions since October last year and was partly caused by cyclones in the southern Indian Ocean.

Two-thirds of the country’s population live in rural areas and are completely dependent on the rains for their crops and livestock.

Source: The Guardian