|
MOGADISHU, March 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres landed in Mogadishu Tuesday morning in what he described as an urgent need to address the ongoing an outbreak of cholera and severe drought ravaging the Horn of Africa nation.
Guterres who flew from Nairobi called for global response to stop deaths in Somalia, noting people were dying of hunger and cholera.
"Just arrived in Somalia on emergency visit to focus on famine and cholera. People are dying. The world must act now to stop this," he said in a tweet.
Speaking on arrival in Mogadishu, the world's top diplomat called for international support to provide humanitarian assistance to Somalia where more than 6.2 million people are facing acute food shortages.
Guterres who was due to hold talks with newly elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed widely known as Farmajo said the current drought in Somalis requires a "massive international response."
The UN announced last month Somalia was slipping into famine six years after a deadly one which claimed upwards of 250,000 lives.
The UN chief is expected to meet the country's leadership and members of the international community to bolster efforts against the drought.
Humanitarian agencies have called for international help warning urgent steps must be taken to prevent the country from falling into famine even as the new administration takes over office.
The UN also confirmed Monday that 196 people have died from acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) and cholera outbreak in Somalia since January, noting that a total of 7,909 AWD/cholera cases have been reported in 11 regions (38 districts) since the beginning of 2017.
