UN fears full-blown famine in Somalia

The United Nations’ World Food Programme has warned that Somalia’s continuing drought could lead to full-blown famine.

WFP said on Wednesday that millions of people in the Horn of African nation require urgent humanitarian assistance.

Already more than hundred people have died in the Southern part of the country in the last week from drought related ailments.

‘‘WFP has deployed a new mechanism, a new mechanism using a digital card. A card that we are all very familiar with in the modern economy. It’s a card which the World Food Programme is loading with funds that allow the most vulnerable families to access shops across Somalia. A network of 700 shops has been established,” said Laurent Bukera, WFP Somalia Country Director.

Recently, the UN warned Somalia’s drought could become the largest humanitarian crisis since 1945.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson held talks with Somali’s president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in Mogadishu with a view to address the crisis.

“It’s a shame that you’re facing the problems that you are, particularly of course, the drought and the risk of starvation that we’re now facing, though I think that we are moving fast to try to tackle that this time round and as you know, the UK government has pledged £110 million to try and kick start that work and to make sure that we get supplies to those who need it,” Johnson said.

Famine last struck Somalia in 2011 killing more than 200,000 people.

Reuters