The UN Food Agency is warning Somalia that a severe famine is imminent

The UN Food Agency is warning Somalia that a severe famine is imminent.

The UN Food Agency is warning Somalia that a severe famine is imminent

The World Food Program issued a warning on Friday stating that a full-blown famine and mass deaths are imminent in Somalia.

By substantially increasing food assistance to millions of people who really are hungry and desperate, the United Nations food agency said it has been able to avoid famine in Somalia.

International donations, according to Laura Turner, deputy country director for WFP in Somalia, have enabled increased aid, reaching around 4.2 million people with food and monetary help.

Speaking from Mogadishu, the capital of Somali, she stated that a record number of people are getting food and nutrition assistance from the WFP. She said that 500,000 women and children in need of malnutrition treatment are some of the beneficiaries.

She said the increased food aid so far has prevented Somalia’s hunger crisis from reaching a point of no return. However, she warned Somalia is not yet out of danger.

“We are in a desperate race against time,” she said. “As we discussed a month ago, if the situation continues to worsen, and we are expecting that it will because we are currently in the rainy season, and we have not seen the rains materialize. Or the relief assistance does not continue to increase to meet the growing needs, then famine is projected before the end of this year.”

The U.N. predicts famine is likely in the Baidoa and Burhakaba districts of the country’s Bay region. It forecasts up to 6.7 million people across the country will face crisis-level food insecurity before the end of the year.

Turner said the WFP is now reaching more than double the numbers of vulnerable people with aid that it was reaching earlier this year. She said food assistance alone will not prevent loss of life.

Disease, poor hygiene, and dehydration are all deep concerns, she added. In order to address the causes of mortality, “we collaborate closely on an integrated response to ensure that sanitation, water access, and health services are also included in what we are doing.”

According to the World Health Organization, this illness affects 1.8 million children, or half of Somalia’s youth.