On 20 July, the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) for Somalia, Mark Bowden, declared the existence of famine in two regions of southern Somalia. Across the country nearly half of the Somali population (3.7 mln) are now in crisis (read the full story). “If we don’t act now, famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months, due to poor harvests and infectious disease outbreaks,” stressed the HC. Noting that the lack of resources is alarming, the HC emphasized “Every day of delay in assistance is literally a matter of life or death for children and their families in the famine affected areas”. Read more...

On 20 July, the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) for Somalia, Mark Bowden, declared the existence of famine in two regions of southern Somalia. Across the country nearly half of the Somali population (3.7 mln) are now in crisis (read the full story). “If we don’t act now, famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months, due to poor harvests and infectious disease outbreaks,” stressed the HC. Noting that the lack of resources is alarming, the HC emphasized “Every day of delay in assistance is literally a matter of life or death for children and their families in the famine affected areas”. The Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) for Somalia established in May 2010 is one of the key funding facilities providing humanitarian assistance in Somalia.