Somalia: UN chief visits Baidoa, calls for urgent response to avert famine in Somalia

BAIDOA, Somalia - United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has visited Somalia's southern town of Baidoa, the interim capital of Southwest state on Tuesday morning, Garowe Online reports.

Guterres arrived in Baidoa for close assessment to a camp of internally displaced people fled from the drought-stricken Bay and Bakool regions, the hardest-hit parts of the country.

Thousands of people who lost their livestock to the biting drought have trekked to Baidoa town which lies about 250 kilometers northwest of the capital Mogadishu to get food, water and medical assistance. 

At a joint press conference with the Somali President in Mogadishu, UN Chief Guterres said the threat of a full blown famine is looming large in Somalia and appealed for an urgent global response.

"Somalia is facing a moment of tragedy, but there was still hope to avert the repeat of the 2011 famine which claimed upwards of 250,000 lives, if the world responses swiftly to the drought," said Guterres.

"People are dying. The world must act now to stop this humanitarian disaster," he tweeted upon his arrival in Mogadishu.

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo said UN chief’s visit to Somalia reinforces the severity of the drought facing the country, adding they have also discussed the security situation in the country.

"We have to address the root cause of the country's major problems, which is the security situation here and how to defeat the terror group of Al Shabaab," said Farmajo during the press conference.

UN estimates that 5.5 million people in Somalia need aid, amid warnings of a famine and launched an appeal for $825 million for the coming 6 months of the year in order to conduct a pre-famine program.

GAROWEONLINE