Somalia famine worst in 17 years

Somalia's famine has spread. According to new assessments the UN is reporting that as many as four million people are in danger and the crisis is worsening. The region of Bay in central Somalia is the latest area to experience famine conditions. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - It's already the worst famine in Somalia in 17 years and it's adding untold misery to people already beset by corruption, strife, Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism, and piracy. In a sobering statement, Mark Bowden, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Somalia said, "We can't underestimate the scale of the crisis." 

EXCLUSIVE: CRISIS IN SOMALIA
Key facts and figures  
from Catholic Online News Consortium

National population: 9.9 million 
At risk population: 4 million 
At immediate risk of death: 750,000
Death toll: "Tens of thousands."
Number of malnourished children: 640,000
Number of children under 5 deceased: > 29,000
Displaced by conflict, famine: > 1.5 million

Sources: CIA The World Factbook, U.S. and U.N. official reports.

The UN is trying to keep up with the increasing demands of the hungry and dying population, but a lack of supply, exacerbated by corruption and conflict, means thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, may go without life-saving food, water, or medicine. 

Although the UN is currently handing out 100,000 hot meals per day as part of the UN World Food Program, it isn't enough. And with other crises such as the lack of food and water in Tripoli, and a general decrease in world attention and fund-raising means that they may not be able to keep up with accelerating demand in Somalia.

The unknown crisis

Islamic warlords in the southern part of the country are refusing to allow aid workers into regions that aid workers believe to be the epicenter of the famine. This means thousands of people are starving without any hope of aid because warlords are simply refusing it.

Many people become refugees and those that can escape make their way to the already overcrowded camps in Mogadishu, or across the border into Kenya. Those who are fortunate enough to survive the famine may eventually find themselves stuck in the camps for several years to come. 

It is hoped that the arrival of the wet season in October will provide some relief for the region. If it does not, millions could perish before the famine ends. 

Of those millions, the majority will be children. 

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