Somalia: Acute Malnutrition on Rise in Somaliland during Aid Delays

PRESS RELEASE

A malnourished child is processed by an aid worker for a UNICEF, funded health program catering to children displaced by drought, at a facility in Baidoa town, the capital of Bay region of south-western Somalia, on March 15, 2017.

The UN's Food Security and Analysis Unit in Somalia latest data on the food security situation that indicates that while the number of people severely food insecure has slightly dropped to 3.1 million people, the overall nutrition situation in Somalia has continued to deteriorate, especially in northern and central parts of Somalia.

Oxfam's Acting Country Director for Somaliland, Harrie Oostingh said: "The increase in acute malnutrition, particularly in the hardest hit Sool and Sanaag regions in Somaliland, is deeply worrying. Over 380,000 children under five are at risk of dying from a lethal combination of severe hunger and deadly diseases such as measles and cholera. Given that we are in the middle of the lean season when food is scarcest, there will be no respite unless more aid is delivered quickly.

"Donors have been swift and generous in pledging funds to help, but the repeated calls to deliver on all the money promised cannot become a broken record. Any further delays will leave many people without life-saving assistance."

Notes to editors:

The UN's Food Security and Analysis Unit in Somalia latest assessment shows that 3.1 million Somalis are categorized in Crisis and Emergency (IPC Phases 3 & 4) and require interventions aimed at reducing food consumption gaps, reducing acute malnutrition, saving lives and protecting and saving livelihoods.

Source