Hiiraan Online

“We are ready to work anywhere in Somalia, provided we get unhindered access to reach the most vulnerable children in need” said UNICEF representative to Somalia, Ms. Rozanne Chorlton.

“Resolving the lack of food aid and other resources to address food insecurity in the south is of utmost urgency to alleviate the impact of the current crisis"

In a press statement the international agency said a consignment of emergency nutrition supplies and water-related equipments on Wednesday reached Somalia’s south-central city of Baidoa, the charity’s first and directly airlifted relief since two years ago.

“Yesterday (Wednesday) Unicef airlifted to Baidoa five metric tons of essential nutrition supplies, including therapeutic food and medicine to treat severely malnourished children, and equipment to supply clean water to the camp for displaced people in Baidoa” said Ms. Chorlton.

Unicef said yet another supply with a target to reach 100,000 people over a period of three months is on its way into the restive capital Mogadishu where thousands of internally displaced persons are seeking refuge.

Somalia’s drought is culminating into a major catastrophe as the president of the beleaguered Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Sheikh Sharif on Wednesday said in a statement that an estimated seven million Somalis, a translation of 70% of the population are in need of urgent aid of food, water and medical supplies.

Unicef says the situating is devastating for the young and vulnerable children of Somalia where several seasons of failed rains translated into a rising nutritional crisis.

 “However, food alone is not enough. Children and their families need health services, clean water, nutrition and an adequate level of care and protection” added Ms. Chorlton

According to Unicef over half a million children in Somalia are acutely malnourished and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The situation for children is dangerous in the worst-hit south of the country that is hosting 80% of all malnourished children.

Somalia is one of the drought-devastated countries in much of the Horn of African nations where an estimated 10 million people are groaning underweight of starvation and hunger.

Unicef says the death toll among young children who are succumbing as a result of starvation is on a worsening trend. 86% of mortality cases among undernourished children are reported from central south regions of Somalia.

Meanwhile Unicef on Wednesday denied media reports that one of their staff member has been kidnapped or arrested by insurgency group Al Shabaab in Somalia’s town of Baidoa.

A regional communication officer with UNICEF told Hiiraan Online that the media reports were exaggerated and there was no kidnapping of any of their staffs in troubled Somalia.

“These reports are not correct. What happened is that a UNICEF national staff member was detained briefly in Baidoa for personal reasons that are not related to UNICEF activities and operations, and the staff member is now released and back to duty” a regional communication officer with the agency told HOL