Associated Press: U.N. chief: drought-stricken Somalia ‘hangs in the balance’
“British Prime Minster Theresa May and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday for more support for drought-stricken Somalia, with the U.N. chief requesting another $900 million in aid this year. They spoke at a high-level conference to address the Horn of Africa nation’s deepening humanitarian and security crisis. ‘Somalia now hangs in the balance between peril and potential,’ Guterres said. ‘Here in London we can tip the scales from danger to safety.’ … WHO added that if the current drought situation continues, ‘famine could soon be a reality’…” (Katz/Anna, 5/11).

Devex: Somalia pledging conference opens as famine looms
“…Already, $672 million was pledged in the run-up to the conference, in accordance with the World Humanitarian Summit’s Grand Bargain, says a report from the U.N. — but aid organizations say the amount is nowhere near enough to head off the coming crisis, with millions of people in need of food aid. Earlier this year, the U.N. appealed for $4.4 billion to deal with the food crises in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Yemen collectively, but has struggled to raise the funds…” (Anders, 5/11).