UN agency says $614m is needed for famine prevention

Hiiraan Online
Friday March 10, 2017

Mogadishu (HOL) - The UN Office for Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA) says that one in two people are food insecure in Somalia with 2.9m people suffering from a food emergency, according to a statistics released by the group on Friday.

The Humanitarian Snapshot released by OCHA details the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation as full-blown famine looms over Somalia. Aid partners are making urgent appeals to donors to avert a catastrophe.

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So far, $160m has been pledged while only $90m has been made available for the operation. Food security and nutrition requires the most financial attention with aid groups saying $350 ml is needed to feed 5.5m people, and $200m is needed to help nourish 2.2m people. Aid groups are urging that donors contribute now to fill the $614m gap of unmet funding.

Since the beginning of January, the number of cholera-related deaths rose to 232 in 9,192 possible cases. Cholera was reported in 11 of 18 regions in Somalia with the Bay region being the most hard hit. Plans for a vaccination campaign are scheduled to begin in March.

In 2011-2012, over a quarter million people died in Somalia after the international community failed to recognize famine warning signs.

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