UN says Somali faces a `dire hunger emergency’ but aid has been cut to millions over lack of funding

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Somalia’s “dire hunger emergency” is spiraling upward with one-third of the population expected to face crisis or worse levels of food needs. But Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Program, said the U.N. has been forced to drastically cut food assistance because of a lack of funding.  She told the U.N. Security Council Thursday that the latest food security data show that over 6.6 million Somalis desperately need assistance including 40,000 “fighting for survival in famine-like conditions.” She said WFP was forced to cut monthly food assistance which reached 4.7 million people in December to 3 million people in April, and will have to cut distribution to just 1.8 million monthly “without an immediate cash injection.”