UN agency warns Somalia on verge of food crisis

Still reeling from a devastating famine which struck the countryside in 2011, Somalia once again sits on the brink of another humanitarian crisis as a poor rainy season followed by severe bouts of floods threaten local harvests, the United Nations agriculture agency warned today.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expressed concern over the fates of more than one million people who are now in critical need of assistance, noting that there has been a 20 per cent increase in just six months in the number of those requiring urgent humanitarian help. In addition, the UN agency observed, two million more people are experiencing threats to their food security.

“If we’ve learned anything from the devastation of the 2011 famine, it’s that early warning signs must lead to immediate action,” Bukar Tijani, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, said. “We know from experience that quick responses to early warnings are crucial to prevent disaster and are less costly than emergency responses to full-blown humanitarian crisis,” he added.

[UN News Centre]

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation by Grant Montgomery.