War and delayed rains in Somalia are putting thousands of lives at risk, especially in areas where African Union troops are battling Islamist extremists for control, the United Nations said Friday.
Seasonal rains crucial for farming and usually lasting from April to June are yet to start in key southern areas of Somalia, as well as in far northeastern regions.
If rains fail this month, “combined with sustained insecurity, we might see new levels of crisis unfold,” said Daniel Molla, chief technical advisor from the UN’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU).
“Delayed rains, rising food prices and persistent insecurity in Somalia is likely to worsen the country’s food security situation in the coming months,” FSNAU added in a statement, with more than 850,000 people requiring “urgent humanitarian assistance”.
The southern regions of Middle and Lower Shabelle are the worst affected, frontline battle zones where African Union troops fighting alongside Somali government forces are battling al Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents […]
South Africa Today – Africa News
