SW News: Somalia is suffering from a calamitous drought that has killed over two million. According to the UN, 25% of Somalis are severely malnourished and half of the 43,000 people who perished in the country's record-breaking drought last year were youngsters younger than five.

On Monday, experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London, in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Health Organization, published a retrospective mortality analysis for Somalia.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine calculated that between 18,100 and 34,200 lives would be lost during the first half of 2023, based on their results.

Drought has resulted in the death of millions of agricultural animals, which has been exacerbated by changing weather patterns, political unrest, and a worldwide increase in food costs.

The United Nations believes that at least 1,00,000 have fled to Kenya, where they are now seeking safety in refugee camps.

From March, a total of 2,279 recorded instances of acute watery diarrhea have been reported since the beginning of 2022, and as a consequence, many people have died.

Wafaa Saeed, a representative of UNICEF, said in Mogadishu that the study's findings provide a bleak picture of the damage wrought by the drought on children and their families.

According to the United Nations Drought Impact Needs Assessment, which examined Somalia's humanitarian needs during the last crisis, at least $1.8 billion would be necessary to alleviate the situation.