UN warns about high child toll in Somalia
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has warned that more than
thirteen children out of every 10,000 aged less than five die in the
Somalia famine zone every day.
“This means that 10 per cent of children under five are dying every
11 weeks. These figures are truly heart wrenching,” The UN
representative to Somalia Augustine Mahiga told the UN Security Council
on overnight Wednesday, AFP reported.
More than 3.7 million people face starvation in famine-stricken areas
in Somalia, the worst affected by the humanitarian catastrophe that has
affected more than 12 million people across East Africa, according to
the UN.
The deputy UN emergency relief coordinator Catherine Bragg said only
half of the one billion dollars promised by UN member states for Somalia
aid has been raised.
“We have not yet seen the peak of the crisis as further deterioration
is considered likely,” Bragg told the UN council.
Bragg said more than 1.2 Somali children are in dire need of
assistance. She warned that tens of thousands of more children will die
if aid is not provided.
The UN has declared famine in five regions in southern Somalia,
saying the disaster will spread to all of the southern parts if
immediate action is not adopted.
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