The United Nations on Wednesday declared Somalia’s food crisis a famine in several parts of the country, southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle.
The combination of one of East Africa’s worst droughts in 60 years and Somalia’s relentless conflict has depleted the country’s food supplies, and tens of thousands of Somalis have died of malnutrition-related causes in the past few months, the United Nations said.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon cited that nearly half of Somalia’s population ― 3.7 million people― were now in near starvation. A total of $1.6 billion was needed to help, he added, with about $300 million of it required in the next two months to mount an “adequate response.”
According to the U.N., a famine is declared when “acute malnutrition rates among children exceed 30 percent, more than 2 people per 10,000 die per day and people are not able to access food and other basic necessities.”
On the other hand, the problem is that the regions declared as famine crisis, are under the control of the Islamist militants, al Shabaab that has sworn allegiance to al Qaeda.
Al Shabaab forced Western aid organizations out of Somalia, which led the situation severer. But, even the terrorist group says now it is prepared to allow aid groups back into areas it controls.
However, aid officials are wary on aid in Somalia, citing the dozens of aid workers who have been killed by terrorists in Somalia in recent years. Also the officials added hampering the emergency efforts are American government rules that prohibit material support to the militants, who often demand “taxes” for allowing aid deliveries to pass through.