U.N. food agency to suspend food aid for 750,000 people in Somalia next month

NAIROBI Kenya AP The U N food agency communicated on Friday that it is cutting food assistance for hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia where millions are facing devastating effects of environment change and acute levels of hunger The World Food Campaign revealed the number of people receiving urgency food assistance in the country will decrease from million in August to in November due to critical funding shortfalls We are seeing a dangerous rise in exigency levels of hunger and our ability to respond is shrinking by the day reported Ross Smith the agency s director of exigency preparedness and response Without urgent funding families already pushed to the edge will be left with nothing at a time when they need it the greater part According to the U N s latest summary million people in Somalia are facing situation levels of hunger and million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year Out of these children are facing severe malnutrition and the U N food agency has only been able to assist about Somalia is not only dealing with the devastating impacts of weather change including drought and flooding but also with conflict and insecurity that have destabilized the country for decades The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab controls certain of its regions U S foreign aid cuts have worsened the response by humanitarian agencies that were already struggling to meet the demands of the growing number of vulnerable people The World Food Effort says it demands million to sustain a minimum of life-saving operations for people through the lean season until March Source