Nairobi (Sunatimes) United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, has warned that malnutrition rates are currently the highest in the world, with peaks of 50 percent in certain areas of southern Somalia.

Mark Bowden said acute malnutrition rates exceed 30 percent, with under-five deaths exceeding six children per 10,000 children per day in southern Bakol and Lower Shabelle region.

Bowden added that in the last few months, tens of thousands of Somalis, mainly children have died as a result of causes related to malnutrition.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, said if they don’t act immediately, famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months due to poor harvests and infectious disease outbreaks.

Meanwhile, Mark Bowden stated that lack of resources is alarming, saying every day of delay in assistance is literally a matter of life or death for children and their families in the famine affected areas.

He said they still do not have all the resources for food, clean water, shelter, and health services to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Somalis in desperate need.

By Sahra Abdi