The head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, during a press conference in the Somali capital Mogadishu, stressed that “famine is approaching. Today I give my final warning.”

He pointed out that the latest data “shows concrete signs that there will be famine between October and December this year” in the Baidoa and Borkhakba districts in the south of the country, expressing “deep shock at the scale of pain and suffering.” inflicted on many Somalis.”

Griffiths confirmed that he saw “children so malnourished they could hardly speak” during a visit to Baidoa, the “epicenter” of the impending disaster. He pointed out that these extreme conditions “may not persist until March 2023 at the earliest.”

According to the United Nations, the unprecedented drought is affecting 7.8 million people in Somalia, nearly half of the population, of which 213,000 are at risk of starvation. Since 2021, hunger and thirst have displaced one million people.