The international charity Action Against Hunger has reported the highest level of severe child malnutrition in Somalia since it began work in the country three decades ago. The organization pointed to a 55% increase in admissions to the centers it operates in the country from January to April of this year, compared to the same period of 2021, in its Friday press release, urging governments to do more to fund humanitarian efforts in the impoverished and war-torn African nation.
The organization blames skyrocketing food prices, an unprecedented drought, and civil war for the rise in hunger. “High food prices and limited access to clean water have led to increases in severe malnutrition and alarming outbreaks of deadly water-borne diseases like cholera,” said Ahmed Khalif, Action Against Hunger country director in Somalia.
He voiced “deep concern about the potential impact of increasing hunger on peace and stability in Somalia.”
“We don’t have enough funds, medicines, or beds for everyone in need,” Khalif said.
The report concluded that only 15 percent of Somalia’s humanitarian funding needs have been met this year, based on UN data, and called for increased and more flexible funding, along with unimpeded humanitarian access.