JEDDAH: The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said the group is viewing the spread of famine in Somalia with deep concern.
The OIC reports that signs of a famine has started to show in Somalia and the Horn of Africa region after a severe drought and shortage of rainfall.
The organization stated that the famine is threatening the lives of more than 17 million people in the Horn of Africa. A drought is starting to affect Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
Half of Somali’s population — about 6 million people — is in need of urgent humanitarian aid.
About 110 people died in Somalia in the past two days from cholera and famine caused by the ongoing drought, said Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali in a statement on March 4.
The OIC’s office for Coordination of Humanitarian and Development Action in Somalia estimates that 50,000 people left Somali villages for the capital Mogadishu since last month.
The OIC General Secretariat said it shares with other humanitarian partners deep concern about the level of international response to the eventuality of famine in Somalia.
The country suffered from famine between 2010 and 2012, which led to the deaths of 260,000 people.
The OIC General Secretariat warned about the consequences of the slow humanitarian intervention and highlighted the need for swift intervention, “before it is too late.”
The OIC General Secretariat appealed for help to the international community.
The UN secretary general recently said that the UN agencies are in urgent need of $4.4 billion by the end of March. The UN announced that 1.4 million children are on the verge of imminent death because of famine in four countries: Somalia, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen, where 20 million people face catastrophic conditions.
