NAIROBI, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Thousands of displaced people in Somalia’s southwest could experience famine between October and December if El Nino causes worse-than-expected flooding and humanitarian aid remains insufficient, a global hunger monitor said on Wednesday.
• Baidoa, one of Somalia’s biggest cities, is home to hundreds of thousands displaced by conflict and hunger.
• A report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an initiative of UN agencies, regional bodies and aid groups, said that 5% of displaced people in Baidoa, or about 26,000, were likely to face starvation and a collapse in livelihoods in October to December.
• More than 5 million Somalis, 26% of the analysed population, are already suffering crisis-level food insecurity or worse due to repeated droughts, conflict and aid shortfalls, the report said.
• The number suffering food insecurity is forecast at 5.4 million people in October to December.
• Food aid is expected to reach only 70,400 people per month in October to December, or 1.3% of those in need.
• An estimated 1.92 million children aged 6 months to 5 years will require treatment for acute malnutrition by next June, including 433,000 severe cases.
• Somalia last experienced famine in 2011, when around 250,000 people died, and came close in 2017 and 2022.
(Reporting by Aaron Ross; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Xevi Fontdegloria and Kevin Liffey)
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