MOGADISHU, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Somalia and the UN on Tuesday appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance to avert an acute food insecurity situation that threatens millions of people.
Adam Abdelmoula, UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, said about 4.1 million people across Somalia will continue to face acute food insecurity through mid-2020, including 1.3 million people who need urgent humanitarian assistance.
"Over 962,000 children face acute malnutrition, including 162, 000 who could become severely malnourished through this year, if their needs are not addressed," Abdelmoula said in a statement issued on Mogadishu.
He also noted that although the recent desert locust invasion in Somalia had been limited and localized, it carries a high risk of damage to crops.
"These concerns add to what is already one of the biggest and most complex emergencies in the world today. About 2.6 million people remain internally displaced and highly impoverished. They need to be better protected and supported in finding durable solutions," said the UN official.
Hamoud Ali Hassan, Somalia's deputy minister of agriculture and irrigation, attributed the country's humanitarian challenges to factors beyond seasonal weather variations.
"The problem in Somalia is not only because of rainfall. It is due to insecurity and lack of infrastructure, which affect the movement of people between member states," the deputy minister noted, further appealing for support from international partners.
