Six die due to hunger in Gedo region

Six people have been confirmed dead due to hunger and thirst in  Buurdhuubo and Garbahareey districts of the  Gedo region, south-west Somalia, a government official revealed.

The deputy commissioner of  theGedo  region Abdi Bare Abdi  who spoke to Goobjoog FM confirmed the death of  six among them  children and elderly persons.

“there is fear of more deaths if an emergence of humanitarian assistance is not met as quickly as possible”, he said.

The official urged the Federal government and aid agencies to assist the population, expressing  his concern over the possibility of more malnutrition deaths.

The deputy commissioner urged the Somali people in the country and those abroad to assist their brothers and sisters in the drought affected areas of the Gedo.

Residents have recently been complaining from food and acute water shortages in the Gedo region, stating that they are on the verge of  humanitarian disaster.

Relief workers say the Horn of Africa is experiencing the worst drought in six decades.  The U.N. and the U.S. Agency for International Development says more than 11 million people are in need of food aid.  Last week, the UN declared that famine has struck two regions in southern Somalia, which is under the control of Al-Shabab.