Somali President says country now under grip of famine

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declared Somalia has said Somalia is officially experiencing a famine noting many deaths linked to starvation had been reported in the country.
Speaking in a Mosque in Mogadishu Friday, President Mohamud said the country was now in the grip of famine and called for swift local and international response.
According to the UN, more than seven million Somalis are facing acute food shortages with close to half a million staring at a famine.
The admission by the president affirms the devastating impact the drought is having on Somalis. Humanitarian agencies say Somalia undergoing a four back to back streak of dry seasons cutting out food production.
Somalia suffered a deadly famine in 2011 which claimed over 250,000  lives with most of them being children.