British envoy urges action to prevent Somalia famine deaths
Hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia may die or be near death in May if immediate action isn’t taken to address the threat of famine, Britain’s envoy for the Horn of Africa warned Wednesday.
Nicholas Kay said at a briefing for a group of journalists that Britain is “deeply concerned by the famine warning in Somalia.”
Somalia, which faced famine in 2010-2011, is currently experiencing widespread drought that was first declared in August 2015. According to the U.N. humanitarian office, 5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network warned earlier this month that “nearly three million people in Somalia face crisis and emergency acute food insecurity” — with little to eat.