Mogadishu, Sept. 6, (dpa/GNA) - Somalia is facing an imminent devastating famine, according to the United Nations.
“Famine is at the door, and today we are receiving a final warning,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said of the East African nation on Monday.
Both the Baidoa and Burhakaba areas of the Bay region are expected to experience famine between October and December of this year, he said.
Four consecutive dry rainy seasons and years of violence are to blame in disrupting food supplies.
The nation in the Horn of Africa, home to about 16 million people, has been rocked by attacks for years. The Islamist militia al-Shabaab controls large parts of the south and central regions.
The UN reports 750,000 people have been displaced due to drought in this year alone. The situation in Somalia is expected to remain critical until at least next March, Griffiths said.
GNA