UN: Almost one million drought-hit Somalis in al-Shabab areas

The UN warned weeks ago that without substantially more international assistance, a rare formal famine declaration could be made for parts of Somalia by the end of the year.

The UN has said close to one million drought-affected people in Somalia are in areas under the control or influence of the extremist group al-Shabab (Jerome Delay/AP)

The United Nations has said close to one million drought-affected people in Somalia are in areas under the control or influence of the al-Shabab extremist group, and it appealed to the fighters to allow humanitarian access as famine threatens the country.

The UN secretary-general’s special representative in Somalia, James Swan, told journalists on Wednesday that the 900,000 people in those areas represent a “relatively small” share of the more than seven million in need as the Horn of Africa country faces its worst drought in several decades.