Security fears, drought and famine plague Somalia
By Lin Taylor LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The UK government is hosting a conference on Thursday to discuss the security threats and humanitarian situation in Somalia, where 3 million people are facing famine and 6 million, or half of the population, are in need of aid. The United Nations is seeking a further $900 million this year for Somalia, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the conference. Here are some facts about Somalia's security and humanitarian situation: * Somalia has been shattered by civil war that began whenclan-based warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 and then turnedon each other. * About 2.9 million Somalis are facing famine, and 6.2million need aid after drought withered crops, killed livestockand dried up waterholes in East Africa, the U.N.'s World FoodProgramme says. * More than 620,000 people have left their homes because ofthe drought since November, the U.N. says, slowing farmers' workto prepare their land and plant crops as the rainy seasonstarts. * Drought has led to the largest cholera outbreak in thelast five years, with more than 36,000 cases and nearly 700deaths so far this year, the World Health Organization says. * Measles are also on the rise, with nearly 6,500 casesreported this year, 71 percent of them children under the age of5, according to WHO. * Some 1.4 million Somali children are projected to sufferacute malnutrition this year, 50 percent more than estimated inJanuary, UNICEF says. * Islamist militant groups like Al Shabaab often carry outattacks in a bid to topple Somalia's government and drive outAfrican Union peacekeeping troops. The al Qaeda-linked groupwants to impose its harsh version of Islamic rule in Somalia. * The kidnapping of aid workers and extortion at checkpointsare on the rise in Somalia, hindering efforts to prevent thecountry slipping into renewed famine. In the first 27 days ofApril, 13 humanitarian workers were abducted, the highestmonthly figure since 2011, the U.N. says.Sources: United Nations, World Health Organization, Reuters, Thomson Reuters Foundation, UK Government (Reporting by Lin Taylor @linnytayls, Editing by Alisa Tang. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters that covers humanitarian issues, conflicts, global land and property rights, modern slavery and human trafficking, women's rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories)
