Thousands of Displaced in Southwest Somalia Could Be in Famine by Year-end, IPC Says

Thousands of displaced people in Somalia’s southwest could experience famine between October and December ​if El Nino causes worse-than-expected flooding and humanitarian ‌aid remains insufficient, a global hunger monitor said on Wednesday. Baidoa, one of Somalia’s biggest cities, is home to hundreds of ​thousands displaced by conflict and hunger. A report ​by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an ⁠initiative of UN agencies, regional bodies and aid ​groups, said that 5% of displaced people in ​Baidoa, or about 26,000, were likely to face starvation and a collapse in livelihoods in October to December. More than 5 ​million Somalis, 26% of the analysed population, are already ​suffering crisis-level food insecurity or worse due to repeated droughts, conflict ‌and ⁠aid shortfalls, the report said. … Somalia last experienced famine in 2011, ⁠when ​around 250,000 people died, and ​came close in 2017 and 2022. (Reuters)