UN says 213,000 people at risk of drought in Somalia

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The United Nations has warned of delays in responding to the famine in Somalia, with more than 200,000 people on the brink of starvation.

The United Nations has declared a state of emergency for 213,000 people severely affected by the drought, part of an estimated 7.1 million people in Somalia.

Four consecutive rainy seasons delays in Somalia has caused the worst drought in 40 years.

“We must act urgently to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe,” El-Khidir Daloum, head of the World Food Program in Somalia, said in a statement issued on Monday.

The number of people facing starvation and famine has risen by 160% since April, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the US-funded Famine Warning Agency.