In Somalia, famine killing hundreds daily, says UN

Reuters | Sep 6, 2011, 06.05AM IST
NAIROBI: Famine has spread to six out of eight regions in southern Somalia, with 750,000 people facing imminent starvation, and hundreds of people are dying each day despite a ramping up of aid relief, the United Nations said.

"The entire Bay region has now been declared a famine area," said Mark Bowden, the United Nations' Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.

Bay is the sixth region of Somalia to slip into famine since the United Nations' initial declaration of famine in the war-torn country in July that has left 4 million Somalis, or 53% of the population, unable to meet their food needs.

Hundreds of people are dying each day and at least half of them are children, the United Nation's Grainne Moloney said, adding she expected the remaining regions of southern Somalia to slip into famine by the end of the year.

Aid agencies are only able to get food aid to 1 million of those in need because the al-Qaida-affiliated al Shabaab rebel group, which controls much of the south, will not allow food shipments in.

"The rate of malnutrition in Bay region is 58%. This is a record rate of acute malnutrition," said Moloney.