Somalis are in a critical situation due to a historic drought caused by five consecutive failed rainy seasons, which caused food prices to skyrocket.

The UN agency’s Somalia representative, Etienne Peterschmitt, said that humanitarian assistance helps prevent extreme situations, however, this support is not enough to stop the threat of famine beyond a few months, he added.

He also warned that, if famine is truly to be averted and not just delayed, large-scale sustained support will be needed until mid- to late 2023.

More than 200,000 people are estimated to be suffering from catastrophic food shortages in Somalia and the figure will rise to 700,000 by 2023, according to FAO.

On the other hand, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) indicated that thousands of severely malnourished children are at risk of dying in that African nation and for whom it urged donors to increase their support.

The last famine in that African country, in 2011, killed a quarter of a million people, half of them before the scourge was officially declared.

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