Thousands face drought death
2006-03-08 19:18
Nairobi - Drought-stricken Somalia is facing a new famine on the scale of the catastrophe that killed tens of thousands of people in the early 1990s, a food-ecurity expert said on Wednesday.
If the rains do not come, more than 10 000 people could die every month, according to Nicholas Haan, chief technical advisor for the food security analysis unit, a project of the European Union and United States government.
"The southern part of Somalia would be at high risk of famine. We estimate there is a more than 50% probability that it will happen," he said.
"If our high-risk prediction is correct, it would be comparable to what we saw in Somalia in 1993 and '94."
He was referring to a famine that killed tens of thousands of Somalis and decimated the country.
Hundreds of thousands have perished
Since the ousting of strongman Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, hundreds of thousands have died from famine, disease and conflict as the country plunged into anarchy.
At least 1.7 million Somalis, of a population of 10 million, are affected by drought.
Using the technical definition of famine as four deaths per 10 000 people a day, Somalia could see 12 000 deaths every month in those areas affected.
"This is manifesting itself into what could be a major humanitarian catastrophe of historic nature," Haan said.