Some areas of southern Somalia are at risk of famine for the first time since 2022 due to drought, conflict, and reductions in international aid. This was reported by Reuters, citing data from global food security monitoring organizations, according to UNN.
Details
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the situation is particularly critical in the Burhakaba district in the south of the country, where more than 37% of children suffer from acute malnutrition. The district's population is estimated at approximately 200,000 people.
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The IPC report notes that famine could occur in the event of another failed rainy season, further increases in food prices, and insufficient humanitarian aid. FEWS NET—the U.S.-based Famine Early Warning Systems Network—stated that under a worst-case scenario, the situation could rapidly transition into a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe.
Situation in the country
Currently, about 6 million Somalis are in a state of crisis-level food insecurity or worse. Reuters notes that the situation is also affected by global cuts in foreign aid, particularly from the United States, as well as the consequences of the conflict surrounding Iran, which have complicated international humanitarian operations.
Somalia already experienced a large-scale famine in 2011, when approximately 250,000 people died. The country also neared humanitarian catastrophe in 2017 and 2022 due to prolonged droughts and a volatile security situation.