UNICEF: More than half a million children in Somalia suffer from acute malnutrition

The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF has issued a warning today that the number of children in Somalia suffering from acute malnutrition has risen to a level not seen in any country so far this century, exceeding half a million children.

“We have more than half a million children in Somalia who are facing avoidable death and it is a nightmare hanging over our heads,” said James Elder, a spokesman for the organization, at a press conference in Geneva today, adding that “a level that no country has witnessed so far this century.”

“More than 513,000 children under the age of five are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, this number is several times more likely to die from diseases such as measles, malaria and cholera, which are spreading in the country, and this represents a 33 percent increase in the number of children at risk since last June, he warned, “There are children who are in a critical condition and without treatment, who may die within hours.”

The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, warned yesterday of the outbreak of famine in Somalia, pointing out that the United Nations needs 10 billion dollars to prevent this famine.

NR