UN urges response to Somalia drought

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday that the conflict-plagued Horn of Africa nation is facing “a much larger-scale disaster” since worsening drought has led to severe shortages of water and food.

“Our actions in the next few months are critical,” Amos said.

“Somalia is teetering on the brink of a much larger crisis if the next rains, due in April, fail. We, the Government, the aid community, authorities in areas with populations in need, must act now to ensure we can respond to any downturn both fast and strategically.”

The UN humanitarian official also cautioned that some 2 million Somalis, or 27 percent of the population, are facing a humanitarian crisis.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 20,000 Somalis have been displaced over the past month in search of food and grazing land for their cattle.

The UN