Rains help Somalia’s hungry, but 2 million still need food aid, UN agency says
By APMonday, August 23, 2010
Rains help Somalia, but 2 million still need food
NAIROBI, Kenya — A U.N. agency says strong rains have cut the number of hungry people in Somalia by 25 percent, but that an estimated 2 million in the Horn of Africa country still need food aid.
The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization said Monday that the gains Somalia has seen the last six months could be reversed if rainfall runs short. Six months ago 2.65 million people needed food aid.
One in six children are malnourished, including 35,000 who are severely malnourished. The agency said 90 percent of those children live in conflict areas.
Somalia hasn’t had a central government since 1991. Its most powerful militant group, al-Shabab, has kicked out many aid groups in the south and has warned Somalis not to eat food from the World Food Program.
