The United Nations officially declared a famine in parts of Somalia, Wednesday, as malnutrition rates rise to extreme levels. The U.N. is now appealing for immediate action to keep the crisis from spreading to other parts of the region.
The United Nations says consecutive droughts over the last few years in Somalia have created a famine in two regions of the south.
Speaking at a news conference in Nairobi, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Mark Bowden called it a “desperate situation.”
The United Nations says consecutive droughts over the last few years in Somalia have created a famine in two regions of the south.
Speaking at a news conference in Nairobi, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Mark Bowden called it a “desperate situation.”
“We estimate that almost half of the Somali population, 3.7 million people, are affected by this crisis and a full 2.8 million people live in the south, the most seriously affected area," said Bowden. "It is likely that tens of thousands will already have died, the majority of these being children.”
