Marka, Somalia (AHN) – At least three children have died from diarrhea and dozens more are suffering from the disease that has sparked in parts of the Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia, residents said Saturday.
Rahma Abdullahi, a resident of the area, told All Headline News by telephone that the district of Wanlaweyn about 90 kilometers southwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu, is the most affected area in the region.
Abdulahi noted that all the children killed by the disease lived in the village of Dudun-gaduud. She said more than 15 other kids are now suffering from the disease, adding that there were no health centers in the districts and villages in the region.
Ali Nur Hajji, an elderly man in the area, called on relief agencies to reach them soon.
The whole region, which controlled by extremist group Al Shabaab, is experiencing severe drought. Abdullahi reported that many domestic animals had died of thirst.
The drought is also reported to have hit in regions of central Somalia.
Al Shabaab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia, has banned more than 20 aid agencies from operating in southern Somalia.
In late October, three people died of thirst in the villages of Lego and Dudun gudud in the region after a severe drought struck the area, causing wells and lakes to run dry.
Relief agencies serving inside the country say aid to millions of Somalis is hampered by the danger that aid workers are faced with and a lack of respect for international humanitarian law by the parties to the conflict.
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