Five million Somali’s face acute food shortage, representing about 40 percent of the Horn of Africa country’s population, the United Nations has warned.
Of the five million, 300,000 are feared to be aged less than five years, including more than 50,000 who are severely malnourished and more vulnerable than any other group.
These latest figures represent an increase of 300,000 people who are food insecure since the last review conducted in February.
“Humanitarian partners are ready to scale up response to help families struggling to find food to make it through the day,” said Peter de Clercq, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.
“The Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 is 32 percent funded and additional resources are urgently required to boost response and on-going efforts to sustainably address malnutrition and access to food, including support to comprehensive durable solutions,” he added.
According to the FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), more than 1.1 million people cannot meet their daily food requirements today, while another 3.9 million Somalis require livelihood support to reduce the risk of sliding into crisis.
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