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A man looks at the carcasses of
animals that died due to the El Nino-related drought in Marodijeex town of
southern Hargeysa, in northern Somalia's semi-autonomous Somaliland region,
April 7, 2016. Picture taken April 7, 2016. REUTERS/Feisal Omar/File Photo
To
prevent Somalia from slipping into famine, the world must "widen its
attention beyond the crisis in Ukraine," the UN's children's agency warned
on Tuesday, warning that only a third of the $250 million required to avert
disaster has been raised so far.
Four
consecutive rainy seasons have failed in the Horn of Africa, resulting in the
worst drought in more than 40 years, and a fifth is expected to fail in
October-December.
Drought
has struck millions throughout the continent, placing food necessities out of
reach for impoverished people and damaging crops and cattle, thanks to a global
spike in food and fuel prices pushed up by the crisis in Ukraine.
"An
explosion of child death is about to happen in the Horn of Africa if the world
does not extend its attention from the crisis in Ukraine and act
promptly," Rania Dagash, UNICEF's deputy regional director, said during a
press conference.
According
to her, there are 386,000 children in Somalia who require immediate treatment
for life-threatening malnutrition, which is already greater than the 340,000
children who required care in 2011, a year in which famine killed hundreds of
thousands of people.
Donor
support has been tremendous, but it falls short of the $250 million goal,
according to Dagash.
"This
year, we only have a third of what we need." "Our appeal to the world
community, lead by the G7, which will gather in Germany in a few weeks,
requires new, additional funds to save lives," she said.
Millions
were malnourished, according to Etienne Peterschmitt, a representative for the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a U.N. body, and 213,000 people were
in the most vulnerable category, experiencing severe food shortages.
He
claimed that the drought had dried up pastures and raised the cost of food and
water. Drought and disease have claimed the lives of almost 3 million animals
since last year. The southern Bay area was particularly troubled.
He
stated that Somalia is "on the verge of terrible and widespread hunger,
starvation, and death," and that it is a "perfect storm for famine if
action is not taken soon."
Malnutrition
rendered children more susceptible to sickness and required impoverished
families to trek great distances for treatment, according to Dagash, who gave
the example of a pregnant lady walking 120 kilometers (75 miles) for therapy
for her 1-year-old twin sons.
"I've
heard of children being buried along the side of the road as their families
make the arduous journey to seek aid."
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