The world must act urgently to save the lives of millions affected by drought in the Horn of Africa, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Friday. This week the UN announced that famine has struck three new areas of southern Somalia, while 12.4 million people in the surrounding region currently face acute food shortages.
In a statement, the FAO "warned that immediate action is needed to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of farmers and pastoralists across the drought-struck Horn of Africa."
The Rome-based organisation said 3.2 million people in Somalia need "immediate, lifesaving assistance." "The crisis in the Horn of Africa is the most severe food security emergency in the world today," the organisation said, adding that thousands have died since the onset of drought sparked by failed rainfall from October to December. The FAO said that to reduce the short-term damage, seeds and planting tools should be provided ahead of the October planting season, while livestock health must be boosted with drugs and vaccines.