NAIROBI — Weak and erratic rains, military conflict, and little funding from the international community could lead to mass hunger in Somalia, aid groups warned.
The UN’s food and security unit says 51,000 children are severely malnourished and face a high risk of death. The group warned that the food situation is likely to worsen in coming months.
‘‘We’re very concerned that at the minute there are so many indicators out there that Somalia is in trouble,’’ said Ed Pomfret of the aid group Oxfam.
Somalia, Pomfret noted, has long been known for a quartet of misery: ‘‘Pirates, terrorism, hunger, and death.’’ But, the groups said, those are not reasons to neglect Somalis in need.
The UN this year asked for $933 million for 2014 aid operations. As of this week, only 12 percent of that request has been met, leaving a gap of $822 million.
The aid appeal is made with the specter of Somalia’s 2011 famine, when an estimated 260,000 people died, fresh in memories.
Aid groups, the UN, and donor governments acknowledge that they did not respond to warning signs in time.