Nairobi (Sunatimes) The United Nations has on Wednesday officially declared famine in parts of Southern Somalia, where over three million people have been affected by a prolonged drought.

In a statement seen by Bar-kulan, the UN says an estimate of 2.8 million people in two regions in southern Somalia; southern Bakol and Lower Shabelle are facing famine due to consecutive droughts that have affected the country in the last few years, while the ongoing conflict has made it difficult for agencies to operate and access communities in the south of the country.

Famine id declared when acute malnutrition rates among children exceeds thirty percent; more than two people per every 10,000 die per day; and people are not able to access food and other basic necessities, reads the statement in parts.

According to the United Nations, most affected areas of Somalia are in the south, particularly the regions of Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, Lower Juba, Bay, Bakol, Benadir, Gedo and Hiran, which hosts an estimate of 310,000 acutely malnourished children.

Although the UN welcomed the recent statement by the Al-Shabaab requesting for international assistance in southern Somalia, it has also blamed the Al-Shabaab for the current crisis in the region, saying the inability of food agencies to work in southern Somalia since early 2010 has prevented the UN from reaching the very hungry people specially children.

The UN said nearly half of the population in Somalia is facing a humanitarian crisis and is in urgent need of assistance, saying the number of people in crisis has increased by over one million in the last six months.

In its statement, the UN concluded that over 166,000 Somalis have fled the country to seek assistance and refuge in neighbouring countries, with over 100,000 of those fleeing since May this year.

By Dahir Abdulle Alasow