UNITED NATIONS:  A UN spokeswoman has warned that 2.3 million people in Somalia, or 18 percent of the population, are suffering from severe water, food, and pasture shortages. "From Somalia, the federal government and the humanitarian community jointly stated on Friday that they are frightened by the country's fast worsening drought," Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson, told reporters at the daily press briefing.

"Due to a lack of access to safe and potable water, the risk of waterborne disease is on the rise," he stated. "Somalia is at the forefront of climate change, having endured over 30 climate-related calamities since 1990, including 12 droughts and 19 floods," the spokeswoman stated. Nearly a million people have fled their homes in search of food, water, and pasture for their cattle, particularly in the central and southern regions. As per reports, more than 70 percent of Somalis live in poverty. The number of persons in need of aid and protection in the United States is expected to increase by 30 percent by 2022, from 5.9 million to around 7.7 million.

"A major storm is developing in Somalia," said Adam Abdelmoula, the UN's Deputy Special Representative for the Secretary-General in the nation. "Those who have been affected have already been through decades of conflict, climatic shocks, and disease outbreaks," said Abdelmoula, who also serves as a resident and humanitarian coordinator.

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