Somalia not yet in famine but still in danger, report says

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Somalia has not yet fallen into famine but several parts of the country are in danger of it in the coming months, according to a new food security report on the Horn of Africa’s worst drought in decades.

The report released Tuesday by United Nations and other experts says more than 8 million people are badly food insecure as Somalia faces “an unprecedented level of need” after five consecutive failed rainy seasons and “exceptionally high” food prices. Thousands of people have died.

The report warns that famine is projected between April and June of next year in two parts of Somalia’s southwestern Bay region and among displaced people in the town of Baidoa and the capital, Mogadishu. It says the “most likely scenario” will see more than 700,000 people in those areas in famine.

The report says several other parts of central and southern Somalia also will see an increased risk of famine if a sixth straight rainy season fails early next year.

The food security experts earlier this year warned of famine in parts of Somalia by the end of this year without an increase in international humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian workers say the war in Ukraine has diverted the funding of some key donors.