MSF warns of worsening malnutrition crisis among displaced children in Somalia

By Agencies

Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, is warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis in Somalia, where half of all children living in displacement sites in the southwest are now suffering from acute malnutrition.

The medical charity says prolonged drought, worsening food insecurity, and shrinking humanitarian funding have pushed thousands of families to the brink.

Since January, MSF has screened more than 21,000 children under the age of five in Baidoa, finding acute malnutrition rates of around 50 percent. The organization has also expanded its nutrition ward to cope with a growing number of critically ill children.

Mitchell Sangma, MSF Medical Coordinator: “It has not been an understatement when I say that a severe humanitarian emergency is unfolding right now in Baidoa and across the country. There’s an ongoing drought… over half a million people have already been displaced… Ninety percent of these displacements are driven by drought, and an overwhelming 80 percent of these populations are mostly the most vulnerable women and children.”

The United Nations says more than 500,000 Somalis were displaced during the first three months of this year, with drought responsible for nine out of ten displacements. Aid agencies warn that without increased international support, malnutrition and preventable deaths are likely to continue rising.