Somalis flee drought amid fears of famine

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Thousands of desperate people are streaming into Somalia’s capital seeking food as a result a prolonged drought, overwhelming local and international aid agencies. The Somali government warns of a looming famine.

An estimated 5 million Somalis, out of population of 10 million, need humanitarian assistance, according to the U.N. humanitarian office. About 363,000 acutely malnourished children “need urgent treatment and nutrition support, including 71,000 who are severely malnourished,” said the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

Fears are rising of a full-blown famine in Somalia. Large-scale aid is needed to avert an imminent disaster, according to the Somali government.

“The dire situation calls for international collaboration and regional partnership between governments, civil society, aid organizations, business and international donors,” said the government this month encouraging regional cooperation to combat the effects of the drought.

Somalia’s ongoing conflict against the Islamic extremist rebels of al-Shabab has compounded the problems of harvest failure. The widespread hunger “is taking a particularly heavy toll on children and women, and makes people vulnerable to exploitation, human rights abuses and to criminal and terrorist networks,” said the government statement.

The U.N. humanitarian appeal for 2017 for Somalia is $864 million to provide assistance to 3.9 million people. But additional funds are needed to cope with the worsening situation, and last month, the U.N. World Food Program requested an additional $26 million plan to respond to the drought.

The daily influx of people seeking food aid is increasing pressure on Somalia’s capital which is struggling to cope with the demands. Refugee camps are already overcrowded, filling them beyond capacity. Because of a lack of clean water in many areas of Somalia, there is the threat of cholera and other diseases, say U.N. experts.