UN fears huge rise in number fleeing famine in Somalia

THE number of people fleeing famine-hit areas of Somalia is likely to rise dramatically and could overwhelm international aid efforts in the Horn of Africa, a UN aid official has claimed.

The UN estimates that tens of thousands of people have died from malnutrition in Somalia in recent months, and over 11 million people across East Africa need food aid because of drought.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s representative in Kenya warned that the situation could become “simply unbearable” in the coming weeks if Somalis continue to abandon their homes in south and central parts of the country in search of food.