
Somalia, a country hit by severe levels of drought, is facing huge risks of famine, an international aid group warns.
Save the Children said Thursday that life-threatening child malnutrition levels were alarming in Somalia, adding that the situation was “very critical” in two of six districts assessed in some of the worst-affected parts of the country.
Hassan Saadi Noor, the aid group’s Somalia director, said children could die in “significant numbers” due to famine.
“We are on the brink of a massive catastrophe in Somalia with the death of three quarters of the country’s livestock, a rapid increase of children suffering severe malnutrition and the depletion of water stores in dozens of communities,” said Noor, adding, “Famine is a distinct possibility for Somalia.”
The humanitarian activist said that more than half of the population of Somalia, around 6.2 million, needed immediate lifesaving assistance as a result of drought in the country, while a further 8.3 million living in countries like Kenya and Ethiopia, including those stranded in refugee camps, needed urgent help.
