Famine threatened in Somalia – Over 700 Somali children starved to death since the beginning of the year – News


contents

The situation in the arid regions of the Horn of Africa is coming to a head. The children’s charity Unicef ​​warns of a new catastrophe.

For two years, people in several countries in the Horn of Africa have been battling the drought. Several rainy periods have failed. Over 20 million people are now affected. It is particularly bad for the rural population in the Bay region of Somalia, which is once again heading for a catastrophic famine.

In addition to the drought, the corona pandemic also hit people hard, explains UNICEF employee Isabel Burchard, who is responsible for East and South Africa at the UN Children’s Fund in the Kenyan capital. At the same time, the sharp increase in the price of food and water robbed people of their last reserves.

A million people fleeing hunger

“In Somalia, more than a million people have already left their homes in search of clean water, food and medical help,” says Burchard. In the last two years, Unicef ​​has helped with vaccination campaigns against measles and medical care for over 220,000 children who are about to die of starvation.

We fear it could be as bad as 2011. More than 250,000 people died then, most of them children.

But now you are at a turning point: “We fear that it could be as bad as 2011 or even worse. At that time, more than 250,000 people died, most of them children.” A famine occurs when one third of the children are at risk of starvation. Other criteria include the mortality rate and household food supplies.

Is the international aid arriving?

The looming catastrophe in Somalia was not only known since yesterday. For example, the children’s rights organization “Safe the Children” announced that by the end of October every fifth child would be severely malnourished. Other organizations are also sounding the alarm.

Legend:

A doctor examines a malnourished child at Martini Hospital in the Somali capital Mogadishu on September 3, 2022.

Keystone/AP/Farah Abdi Warsameh

The international aid arrives, but is simply not sufficient, says Burchard: “The last reserves have actually been exhausted.” Burchard explains the fact that emergency aid in the Horn of Africa is getting off to a rather slow start with the Ukraine war and the consequences for Europe in terms of energy and inflation.

Urgent call for help

Somalia got 100 percent of its wheat from Ukraine and Russia in 2020, according to the UN. «The special food to save starving children has also become 17 percent more expensive. We urgently need the financial means for clean water, food and medical care,” says Burchard.

The last reserves are actually exhausted.

The US wants to support Somalia with aid worth 708 million dollars in the impending famine. This was announced by the American agency for development cooperation, USAID, on Tuesday.

source site-72