Around 110 people have died in somalia over starvation issues in the past two days. The deaths have also been tied to a severe drought plaguing the area that is reportedly risking the health of millions still.
What does the situation look like right now?
Somalia's government has already declared the drought to be a national disaster in a released statement since last Tuesday. Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire had also appeared during a meeting with the Somali National Drought Committee.
Thousands have reportedly entered Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, in hopes of finding aid, especially food, and have overwhelmed both local and international agencies.
To place this into context, one feeding center recently checked in 7,000 people. Around 363,000 children need treatment, according to a statement from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Famine Early Warning Systems Network, and around 71,000 of them are said to be malnourished.
The tragedy is believed to be the first major crisis for President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who has been recently elected, and who has reportedly appealed to the international community and Somalia's diaspora for aid during the drought. It is also feared by the government that the struggles installed by the crisis can lead to “exploitation, human rights abuses and to criminal and terrorist networks,” according to a released statement from officials.
The United Nations and aid for Somalia
According to reports, the United Nations currently estimates that 5 million people in the area need aid. Somalia had been one of four regions singled out by a United Nations representative last month in a $4.4 billion aid appeal that had aspired to prevent serious hunger and famine. The appeal project would have also aided Nigeria, South Sudan, and Yemen, as the four are also connected to violent conflicts.
United Nations humanitarian coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, was also expected to visit the area in the upcoming days. The United Nations World Food Program had also requested a new $26 million plan in response to the drought.
