The United Nations (UN) has warned that about 2.1 million people in Somalia face starvation and acute food insecurity through to December owing to the severe drought that has destroyed several parts of the country.

According to the assessment by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU), an estimated one million children under the age of five are likely to be acutely malnourished through to mid-2020. The assessment was managed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The UN explained that the current high levels of food insecurity were exacerbated by below-average and erratically distributed rainfall during the 2019 Gu season (April-June), which began late and ended early. “Many households are still recovering from the severe 2016/2017 drought or have been affected by conflict, and 2.6 million people remain displaced,” the UN said.

FSNAU has said that sustained and large-scale humanitarian assistance through September would prevent more severe outcomes in many areas. While the UN warned that food security was expected to deteriorate in the absence of humanitarian assistance from October to December.

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