Gedo Region "worst affected" in Somalia

Drought, insecurity and the closure of the Kenya-Somalia border have all contributed to increased levels of severely malnourished children in Gedo Region, which has the most serious humanitarian situation in Somalia. The European Union-funded and FAO-implemented Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) said in its September nutritional update that there was "little doubt that the health and overall welfare of the population of Gedo Region is already the worst in Somalia... Sheer numbers of malnourished children presenting at health facilities, and observations during screenings for general rations act to reinforce this suggestion". The report said it was "extremely unfortunate" that there had been a lack of nutrition surveys in Gedo over the past one year, generally attributed to insecurity.

Agro-pastoralists were most vulnerable to the effects of total crop failure in the region, FSAU said. Camels and cattle had already moved away from many affected areas, and the condition of the remaining animals was poor, with greatly reduced milk yields. The closure of the Kenya-Somalia border "has negatively affected income to households in Bula Hawa, Dolo and El Wak". It said the region was also experiencing serious water shortages, which were forcing people to travel for long distances and share scare water supplies with animals.