Somalia: A new food crises puts millions of lives in danger

Still in the grips of the chaos spread by the Islamic militant group Al-Shabaab, Somalia is experiencing, according to the United Nations, a critical humanitarian situation, 4 years after the deadly famine that hit the Horn of Africa. “The levels of food insecurity and malnutrition are critical. Humanitarian actors and donors have prevented the worst, but we must all do more”, warned the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Peter de Clercq, insisting that the fate of the internally displaced populations is “particularly worrying”. According to the UN, in a period of 6 months the number of people in need of food aide rose from 731,000 to 855,000, an increase of 17%. In total, 215,000 children are suffering from malnutrition. As in 2011, the drought is to blame, the weak rains having damaged crops against the background of a conflict that dismantled the structure of the pastoral communities. R.M.