A July study at refugee camps near Baidoa in southwest Somalia found that 47% of children were malnourished, a jump of 83% compared to July of last year. These findings were released on August 11 in a report by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Over 100 children died at a MSF hospital, and experts believe many more children have died outside the hospital. According to the United Nations, 6 million people are threatened with “high levels of acute food insecurity,” and 1.88 million children need treatment for acute malnutrition. The humanitarian organization is blaming drought conditions which caused crop failures and the death of livestock; years of instability; and severe cuts to aid programs by the United States and other nations.
MSF project coordinator Allara Ali told the Washington Post, “What we are seeing is shocking and far beyond the threshold of an extremely critical emergency. What is equally shocking is the lack of urgency from donors, who continue to downscale and withdraw support from Somalia.”
