Somalia's 'grim future'

I've pointed out before how badly the situation in Somalia has deteriorated since the US-backed Ethiopian 'liberation'. Presently 20,000 people are fleeing the capital Mogadishu every week while 2,000,000 people in the country are dependent on daily food aid.

And yet, aid agencies warn that the humanitarian catastrophe risks getting much worse.

"There are no signs of improvement on the ground, and those who are suffering the brunt of the conflict are the civilians, who are being either killed or displaced, and are in the middle of suffering that is unacceptable," said a spokesman for the UN refugee agency.

"In terms of child malnutrition, access to education, lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities, indeed the situation in Somalia is the worst in the world... to be a child in Somalia today is something that means lots of suffering and a grim future," he continued.

The warning comes ahead of a UN Security Council meeting to consider sending 27,000 peacekeepers to Somalia to replace the stretched African force.