50,000 children in Somalia "on doorstep of death"
FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE- Fifty thousand children in Somalia could die unless they are given immediate assistance, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the Horn of Africa country has warned.
A drought has worsened an already dire humanitarian situation in the country which has experienced more than two decades of insecurity.
The Al Shabaab terrorist group has been driven out of a number of cities but has blocked food supply routes in some parts of the country.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Philippe Lazzarini said the international community needs to act now to save the children.
"We have more than one million people who are in need of urgent assistance. Among them we have 250,000 children. And among them we have 50,000 children who are on the doorstep of death, if no assistance is provided now."
On Tuesday, the UN Security Council is expected to hear a briefing of the current situation in Somalia.
Source: Famgusta Gazette