Alarming acute food insecurity in Somalia

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), there are currently about 3.4 million people in Somalia facing severe food insecurity and this number is expected to increase by another 1 million in the coming months.

There are currently about 3.4 million people facing acute food insecurity in Somalia. (Source: WFP)

On March 4, the Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis at the World Food Programme (WFP), Jean-Martin Bauer, warned that an additional one million people in Somalia could face starvation in the coming months, as drought is forecast to continue into the next growing season. This number could even increase due to aid cuts.

In 2022, the Horn of Africa region faced its driest conditions in more than four decades after back-to-back rainy seasons without rain, killing 43,000 people.

According to a recent WFP report, there are currently about 3.4 million people facing acute food insecurity in Somalia. This number is expected to increase to about 4.4 million people, or 25% of Somalia's population, in the coming months.

This level is equivalent to stage three or above in the integrated food security stage classification system, i.e. famine level. The increase is due to below average rainfall during April-June, which could cause drought conditions.

In addition, Mr. Bauer warned that the situation could get worse due to cuts in US aid to the United Nations, as well as rising food prices and conflict.

WFP has had to cut its assistance programmes and is helping around 820,000 people in Somalia, down from 2.2 million at its peak in 2022, according to Jean-Martin Bauer.

WFP notes that hunger tends to hit children hardest, and based on current projections, some 1.7 million children under the age of five are expected to face acute malnutrition by December 2025. Of these, 466,000 face severe acute malnutrition.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bao-dong-tinh-trang-mat-an-ninh-luong-thuc-cap-tinh-o-somalia-306448.html