Perilous
Times
UK: 400,000 Somali children to die without more aid
NAIROBI, Kenya — A British government minister says up to 400,000
Somali children could die of starvation unless urgent action is
taken.
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell on Wednesday
made the first visit in 18 years by a British minister to
Somalia's capital of Mogadishu, where he met with government
leaders and aid groups.
Mitchell said in neighboring Kenya that Britain will give UNICEF
more than $41 million in additional aid. That will allow nearly
200,000 people to have two months of supplementary food rations
and vaccinations against measles for 800,000 children.
More than 12 million people need food aid in drought-struck East
Africa. More than 2 million live in areas controlled by the Somali
militant group al-Shabab.