UN Agencies Urge Global Aid for Somalia's Deepening Food Crisis

Kathmandu. Various humanitarian agencies under the United Nations have urged the global community to expand immediate assistance, stating that the severe food crisis in Somalia is deepening.

According to the latest report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Children's Fund, and the World Food Programme, about 6 million people in Somalia are currently affected by severe food insecurity, which is about one-third of the country's total population. Among them, 1.9 million children are directly affected, and about 493,000 children have reached a state of severe malnutrition.

The United Nations has stated that the situation is worsening due to prolonged drought, internal insecurity, extremely limited humanitarian assistance, and the indirect impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Specifically, it has been warned that the risk of famine is visible in the Burhakaba region of the southwestern state for the first time since 2022.

Recalling that the potential famine was averted in 2022 due to the large-scale mobilization of international humanitarian aid, the United Nations has stated that immediate and widespread cooperation is still necessary. It is reported that although efforts are currently underway to expand assistance in the risk-prone areas, about 90 percent of the affected people across the country are not receiving adequate assistance due to lack of resources and budget.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, George Conway, has warned that the coming weeks are extremely sensitive and that a major humanitarian disaster could occur in Somalia if effective assistance does not reach in time.