Thomson Ferry, a spokesman for the World Food Program, affiliated with the United Nations (UN) said that lack of funding has forced the international organization to reduce food rations distributed in Somalia by 50% since February this year.
The organization warned of expectations that the food security situation there will worsen due to climate shocks, economic disruptions, civil war, and the disappearance of a strong central government.
Ferry confirmed at a press conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, today, Friday, that the UN program may be forced to make further cuts as early as next June 2021 unless sustainable funding is secured.
The spokesman mentioned that an estimated 5.9 million people - nearly half of the population - in Somalia need immediate humanitarian assistance with the food program, which provides food aid to 1.3 million people.
The international official noted that the organization urgently needs $ 172 million to continue its operations in the country at the levels. Current for the next six months.
The UN spokesperson indicated that the worsening deterioration of food security in Somalia is due to several factors, including the continuous invasion of desert locusts, the economic effects of the Corona epidemic, frequent climate shocks, including droughts and floods, and below-average expectations for precipitation, warning that the lack of funding leads to exposing Vital risk feeding programs.
He added that with the current funding projections, the World Food Program will be able to continue malnutrition prevention and treatment programs until June only, which may undermine previous gains, including a 2% reduction in the malnutrition rate last year.
Ferry stressed that without the program's assistance, 840,000 children in Somalia are expected to suffer from moderate acute malnutrition and about 143,000 from severe acute malnutrition, while about 51,000 children will be at risk of death in the country.
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