People are seen at a camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, Feb. 4, 2022. (Photo: Xinhua)

 

A woman carrying a child is seen at a camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, Jan. 13, 2022. (Photo: Xinhua)

 

A child is seen at a camp for displaced people in Daynile District, Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, Jan. 28, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other UN agencies on Tuesday sounded the alarm about the deteriorating food security and nutrition situation in Somalia, saying that the country was on the brink of a devastating famine.

Etienne Peterschmitt, the FAO's representative in Somalia, told a press briefing here via video link that in the wake of a historic fourth consecutive failed rainy season, food prices continued to soar in the country and humanitarian assistance remained out of reach for millions of people there.

It is "a perfect storm for famine if action is not taken now," he warned.