300,000 Children in Somalia Suffering from Malnutrition

Ongoing drought causing acute food insecurity in Somalia

Four successive seasons of below-average rains in parts of Somaliland and a below-average Deyr rainy season in Puntland have lead to severe drought.

The drought, exacerbated by El Niño conditions, has spread through Puntland and Somaliland, affecting hundreds of thousands of people, and compounding an already challenging humanitarian situation in the region. An estimated 385,000 people face acute food insecurity in Somaliland and Puntland, with an additional 1.3 million people threatened by acute food insecurity if they do not receive assistance. (OCHA)

About 300,000 children in Somalia are suffering from malnutrition, with 60,000 under the age of five being in critical condition and in need of urgent therapeutic feeding, said reports.

Conflict and drought: Major drivers of acute food insecurity in East Africa

South Sudan

Conflict areas in Greater Upper Nile in South Sudan remain in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity through the spring and summer.

“Some smaller populations in central Unity State are expected to be facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Areas in Greater Bahr El Ghazal and Greater Equatoria that were less directly impacted by the Government and Opposition conflict are seeing their food security threatened by very high staple food prices, brought on by restricted trade and the depreciation of the South Sudanese Pound, in addition to sporadic violence/clashes.

Ethiopia

“In Ethiopia, Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes continue in agricultural and agropastoral eastern areas of Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and SNNPR Regions, as well as in pastoral areas of Afar Region and Sitti Zone in the Somali Region. Following the 2015 El Niño-related drought, there has been a slow start to 2016 rains across much of central and eastern Ethiopia. More than 10 million people in central and eastern Ethiopia will be in need of emergency food assistance this year.”

Darfur – Sudan

“Conflict in has displaced approximately 130,000 people since January.Restricted access to humanitarian assistance, markets, and labor opportunities in Central and South Darfur and SPLM-N-controlled areas of South Kordofan is contributing to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes for many where availability of and access to food is extremely limited.

Yemen

Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity outcomes are expected to continue in most areas through September 2016 and beyond.

“Protracted conflict since early 2015 has contributed to eroding livelihoods and restricting market access for many. Household purchasing power will remain weak due to atypically high food prices and livelihood disruptions. While many households will attempt to cope by selling assets and reducing the quantity and diversity of meals, these efforts are not expected to enable households to meet basic food needs.” [http://www.fews.net/]

 

 

UN Casualty Figures for Iraq – April 2016

More than 2,000 civilian killed or wounded in Iraq in April

At least 741 Iraqis were killed and another 1,374 were wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in April 2016*, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

The number of civilians killed in April was 410 (including 11 federal police, Sahwa civil defence, Personal Security Details, facilities protection police, fire department), and the number of civilians injured was 973 (including 20 federal police, Sahwa civil defence, Personal Security Details, facilities protection police, fire department).

A total of 331 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (including Peshmerga, SWAT and militias fighting alongside the Iraqi Army but excluding Anbar Operations) were killed and 401 were injured.

The overall casualty figures are down from the previous month of March, where a total of 1,119 were killed and 1,561 were injured.

“Terrorists have used suicide attacks to target cafés, places of worship, pilgrims and markets in a wicked, unrelenting campaign to cause maximum casualties and inflict untold suffering on the population,” said the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq.

Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate with 874 civilian casualties (232 killed, 642 injured). Ninewa 72 killed and 30 injured, Salahadin 32 killed and 24 injured, Diyala 17 killed and 15 injured, while Kirkuk had 16 killed and 10 injured and Basra 08 killed and 16 injured.

According to information obtained by UNAMI from the Health Directorate in Anbar, the Governorate suffered a total of 252 civilian casualties (27 killed and 225 injured).

* CAVEATS: In general, UNAMI has been hindered in effectively verifying casualties in conflict areas. Figures for casualties from Anbar Governorate are provided by the Health Directorate and are noted below. Casualty figures obtained from the Anbar Health Directorate might not fully reflect the real number of casualties in those areas due to the increased volatility of the situation on the ground and the disruption of services. In some cases, UNAMI could only partially verify certain incidents. UNAMI has also received, without being able to verify, reports of large numbers of casualties along with unknown numbers of persons who have died from secondary effects of violence after having fled their homes due to exposure to the elements, lack of water, food, medicines and health care. For these reasons, the figures reported have to be considered as the absolute minimum.

Baghdad Declares a State of Emergency

Meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared in Baghdad on Saturday after thousands of protesters tore down the walls of the highly fortified Green Zone and stormed the Iraqi parliament, according to reports.

Double car bomb attack in Iraq kills 40, ISIL claims credit

Two car bomb explosions in the southern Iraqi town of Samawa have killed at least 40 people and injured 100 more, according to reports.

The Saudi-backed Islamic State (IS, aka, ISIS/ISIL) Wahhabi terrorists have claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks.