Drought’s devastating toll on Somalia’s children

Rukia Yacoub, deputy director for the World Food Programme in East Africa told the BBC that only 15 percent of its Somalia appeal has been funded and the need is increasing every day.

News Keydmedia Online
29 May 2022

MOGADISHU, Somalia - East Africa is in the middle of a years-long drought after four consecutive failed rainy seasons – with Somalia one of the worst affected.

The United Nations is warning that the country risks famine should global food prices continue to rise.

Rukia Yacoub, deputy director for the World Food Programme in East Africa told the BBC that only 15 percent of its Somalia appeal has been funded and the need is increasing every day.

And as the drought rages on – its children many are worried about. The UN estimates that 1.4 million children in Somalia will suffer from malnutrition this year.

Some of the most severe cases are brought to Banadir Hospital in the capital Mogadishu for treatment, but when the BBC visited, every bed in the specialist ward was already taken leaving no room for new arrivals.