Famine crisis: 4 countries that need help

In this photo taken Monday, March 13, 2017, Iman Diing, 20, center, holds her 13-month-old baby daughter Alakaii at a UNICEF-supported outpatient therapeutic program for the malnourished, near Aweil, in South Sudan. (Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin/UNICEF via AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to reallocate billions in foreign aid spending to his administration’s efforts to bolster the U.S. economy could have dire consequences for more than a million children in four countries facing famine, drought and violence.

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The prospect of the world’s top emergency donor turning off the taps has prompted the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to issue a new warning suggesting time is running out for nearly 1.4 million children at imminent risk of death in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.

The global aid agency said it needs close to US$255 million to secure food, water, health, education, and protection for children in these hardest hit countries for the next few months.

UNICEF outlined its plan to address the potential deadly conditions in these hardest-hit regions in 2017.

North-east Nigeria

The number of children with severe acute malnutrition is expected to reach 450,000 by the end of the year in conflict-affected states like Adamawa, Borno and Yobi, according to UNICEF’s latest estimate. The agency said it treated nearly 14,000 children for severe acute malnutrition in Borno and Yobe in January and February of this year alone.

Snapshot of UNICEF’s planned response in 2017:

Somalia

Severe drought in Somalia is compounding risks already exacerbated by decades of armed conflict. UNICEF expects more than 270,000 children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition if the famine is not averted. Almost half the population, 6.2 million people, are facing acute food insecurity, and are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Snapshot of UNICEF’s planned response in 2017:

South Sudan

Africa’s youngest country is reeling from conflict, poverty, and insecurity. If nothing is done to curb the severity and spread of the food crisis, UNICEF estimates the total number of food-insecure people is expected to rise from 4.9 million to 5.5 million at the height of the lean season in July.

Snapshot of UNICEF’s planned response in 2017:

Yemen

Yemen’s now two-year long civil war has seen tens of thousands killed, and displaced millions across the country. UNICEF estimates severe food insecurity threatens more than 17 million people -- a 21 per cent increase since June 2016.

Snapshot of UNICEF’s planned response in 2017: