Mogadishu (Sunatimes) Aid groups have warned of possible spread of diseases among drought and famine displaced people in Somalia due to the seasonal rains expected in the country by next month.

Twenty aid groups raised the red flag over Somalia famine crisis, saying that hundreds of thousands of people could die from the crisis since the aid response to Somalia’s famine has not been large enough to address the dire needs.

The groups said tens of thousands of children and many more adults have already died from hunger.

In a statement, the group said the suffering in Somalia could get any worse as the arrival of Deyr rains predicted for October 2011 will likely result in increased suffering and lead to the deaths of many more weak and vulnerable Somalis in communities already decimated by famine.

They say the spread of cholera, measles and malaria will have a devastating effect on malnourished men, women and children in Somalia.

According to AP news agency, majority of the Somalia’s famine victims live in areas controlled by Al-Shabab, a harsh militant group that won’t allow most international aid groups into the territories it controls.

The United Nations says that more than 4 million people are suffering from a food crisis in Somalia, and that 750,000 of those people are at risk of death in the next four months.

By Fadumo Farah