Key Message Highlights
Nearly 860, 000 people remain acutely food insecure and require urgent humanitarian assistance over the next six month period – a majority of them are IDPs (75%)
Over 2 million additional people beyond those requiring urgent assistance are classified as Stressed (IPC Phase 2); their food security remains fragile and vulnerable to any major shock that could push them back to Crisis or Emergency (IPC Phases 3 and 4)
203,000 children under 5 years of age are acutely malnourished of which 51,000 are severely malnourished and face a higher risk of death; a majority of the malnourished are found among non-IDP populations in South-Central Somalia
Multi-sectoral efforts to address the underlying and basic causes of malnutrition are critical and must be supported by continued humanitarian action
Lifesaving humanitarian assistance and livelihood support remain vitally important between now and June 2014 to help food insecure populations meet their immediate food needs.