Christian Balslev-Olesen, the UNICEF representative in Somalia, said the Shabelle region faces its worst crisis in years.

"People have not been able to plant their fields, feed their children," he told the U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network.

A lack of maintenance for drainage systems is behind much of the flooding, he said. Somalia has had no effective national government since 1991.

About 17 percent of the population in Shabelle suffers from malnutrition. The rate is even higher among children under age 5.

Aid has been curtailed in the country because of the persistent violence.