Al-Shabaab violence, drought amplify Somali hunger crisis

Five million Somalis need food, with children at the greatest risk of malnutrition, the United Nations said in a report released yesterday. The data comes amid ongoing famine conditions and continuous attacks from Somali-based extremist group al-Shabaab.

According to the report, the number of people facing food insecurity has risen by 300,000 since February. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network said more than 1.1 million people cannot meet their daily food needs while another 3.9 million need support to avoid a crisis. Somali children face the highest threat, with more than 300,000 children under 5 facing acute malnutrition.

“The situation is of serious concern and comes at a time when we are already facing multiple drivers of needs, including drought and risk of flooding, conflict and access constraints, as well as increased refugee returns,” the United Nations said in its statement.

Thousands of refugees have returned this year to Somalia from Kenya’s Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp. The Kenyan government has said it will close the camp by November. The increased number of refugees has resulted in more cramped camps and fewer resources. More than half those facing food insecurity are displaced persons. In addition to food challenges, displaced persons also battle abuse and discrimination, the report said.

“Security and hunger are equal problems for us here,” said Amina Nur, a Somali refugee who returned home from Dadaab five months ago.

Somali-based al-Shabaab continues to carry out attacks in Somalia’s capital and other parts of the country despite successful efforts by multinational forces to push the extremist group out.

Al-Shabaab, which seeks to eliminate Somalia’s Western-backed government, has threatened more violence as the country prepares for its upcoming elections. In an audio message released yesterday, al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage said the group would use “an iron hand” to deal with Somalia’s traditional elders, who take part in the upcoming elections.

As the crisis continues, Peter de Clercq, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, said his team is prepared to boost its response to the rising needs despite financial backlogs. Clercq said the team’s 2016 response plan is only 32 percent funded.

“Humanitarian partners are ready to setup response to help families struggling to find food to make it through the day,” Cleercq said.