Thousands starving in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Humanitarian groups say thousands of children in Somalia are facing starvation.

United Nations emergency coordinator John Holmes said last week that malnutrition and disease, combined with political insecurity and drought, have made conditions worse in Somalia than in Darfur and Chad, the Los Angeles Times said Wednesday.

UNICEF said 83,000 children in central and southern Somalia are malnourished, with about 13,500 so malnourished they are at risk of starvation. About 1.5 million people require humanitarian aid.

The country's transitional government allegedly has made things worse by trying to tax incoming humanitarian assistance, setting up roadblocks that hindered food deliveries, and accusing charities of supporting terrorists, the newspaper said.