The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday urged more humanitarian efforts in Somalia as the nation continues to be plagued by drought and violence.
According to the OCHA, only one-third of the nearly 1 billion U.S. dollars in funds sought for Somalia have been received so far. At least 3.2 million people or 40 percent of the Horn of Africa nation's population will continue to need humanitarian assistance and livelihood support through this September, with latest assessments indicating that current rains could offer short-term relief from water and pasture shortages in some areas.
Recent clashes between government forces and insurgents in the capital of Mogadishu were the worst in recent months, claiming civilian lives and displacing 42,000 people.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), half of the uprooted have fled to Mogadishu's neighbouring Afgooyedistrict, which is already home to more than 400,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The World Food Program (WFP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and their partners are seeking to scale up their nutritional intervention schemes to reach additional severely acute malnourished and moderately acute malnourished children, the OCHA said.
Last week, the UN Security Council demanded that extremists groups in Somalia immediately end their offensive in the capital against the transitional government, expressing concern over the mounting death toll and worsening humanitarian situation in the capital.
Source: Xinhua
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