UN says Somali famine over, but warns action needed to forestall new crisis
2012-02-03
NAIROBI, Kenya/ HONG KONG, 3 Feuary 2012 – The United Nations declared an end to famine conditions in Somalia today, but warned that the crisis in the Horn of Africa is not over and requires continued efforts to restore food security and help people resume normal lives.
Long-awaited rains, coupled with substantial agricultural inputs and the humanitarian response deployed in the last six months are the main reasons for this improvement. The number of people in need of emergency humanitarian assistance in Somalia has dropped from 4 million to 2.3 million, or 31 per cent of the population, according to a new report by the United Nations and the United States Government. Additionally, 325,000 children are acutely malnourished.
However, the crisis is not over. The number of people still requiring emergency assistance in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, according to FAO, stands at 9.5 million.
