Situation In Somalia Deteriorates; UN Says, Famine and Malnutrition may further worsen

Added by Gary Dunn on July 29, 2011

The United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA released a new report on Friday that indicates famine and malnutrition in Somalia are on the rise.

The OCHA is appealing for more financial aid to be provided to the country. An estimate of  $1.4 bn US has been slotted as a future provision of funds to the country. The organization has said that the situation of impoverishment in Somalia would persist for the next 4 to 6 months.

It has been eight days since UN had officially declared the origin of famine and malnourishment across the country. Since that day, the relief agencies and governments had kept a check on the continent. The problems of food and nutritional shortages spread from Somalia to Kenya and Ethiopia. However, while these countries are expected to improve and recover, Somalia will continue to face the fatal troubles.

The famine in the country spread to surrounding regions largely as a consequence of the mass exodus of people. Ever since, a staggering 3.7 million of people were found to be undernourished in Somalia, there has been a mass exodus of people to the surrounding regions of Djibouti and Kenya. As a result, the problem has escalated in these countries as well.

The UN report also emphasizes on another reason for the troubles to become more serious. There has been a general lack of law and order in Somalia. The radical group Al-Shabaab is wreaking havoc in the country. As a consequence, people have been deprived of proper nutritional and medical aid.