UN to declare famine in parts of drought-hit Somalia

The UN says the humanitarian situation in the country has deteriorated rapidly, despite assistance efforts.

It will be the first time that the region has seen famine in 19 years.

Meanwhile, the UN and US have said aid agencies need further safety guarantees from armed groups in Somalia to allow staff to reach those in need.

Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliated groups which controls large swathes of south and central Somalia, had imposed a ban on foreign aid agencies in its territories in 2009, but has recently allowed limited access.

An estimated 10m people have been affected in east Africa by the worst drought in more than half a century. Tens of thousands of desperate Somalis have been trying to flee their country to neighbouring Kenya or Ethiopia.

The BBC's Africa correspondent Andrew Harding says the UN is expected to announce a famine in at least two regions in the centre of the country - Bakool and Lower Shabele - where drought, conflict and poverty have now combined to produce the necessary conditions for famine.

Those conditions include more than 30% of children being acutely malnourished, and four children out of every 10,000 dying daily.

Our correspondent says the emotive word "famine" is used rarely and carefully by humanitarian organisations, and it will be the first time since 1992 that the word has been applied to a situation in Somalia.

Meanwhile, the UN is calling for unhindered access to affected areas, saying that the security situation is hampering humanitarian efforts.

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