Somalia is facing a \u201cvery real risk\u201d of famine, with more than 6 million people, half its population, facing acute food insecurity in the country, three UN agencies have warned.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian groups in Somalia cautioned there was a \u201csmall window\u201d to stop a repeat of the 2011 famine<\/a>, when an estimated 260,000 people starved to death in the country after a slow response from donors.<\/p>\n The projected speed of deterioration in a country gripped by severe drought, rising prices and forecasts of poor rains, together with the number of people at risk and the difficulties involved in reaching those affected, have led to a stark warning that an \u201cimmediate and massive\u201d response is needed to avert catastrophe.<\/p>\n According to the latest findings, by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit<\/a>(FSNAU) in Somalia, almost 3 million people face crisis and emergency food insecurity, more than double the number six months ago. Crisis and emergency, a classification of the severity of food insecurity, is one step away from famine. About 363,000 acutely malnourished children need urgent treatment and nutrition support, including about 71,000<\/a> who are severely malnourished, according to FSNAU.<\/p>\n Dick Trenchard, the Food and Agriculture Organisation representative in Somalia, said: \u201cThe latest report tells us that we risk famine in several areas of Somalia in the coming months. The warning could not be clearer and it could not be more stark. What worries most is the projected speed of deterioration, the scale \u2013 in terms of number of people at risk, the geography and the very real risk of a significant worsening.\u201d<\/p>\n Trenchard, who was speaking on behalf of the FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN children\u2019s agency Unicef, said the response must span prevention \u2013 particularly in rural areas where farmers can be given cash to keep their animals alive \u2013 mitigation measures such as nutrition, and health support.<\/p>\n He urged international partners, Somali civil society and government to work together to \u201cavert catastrophe\u201d.<\/p>\n