The United Nations continues to issue dire warnings over the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa. On Monday, Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said the famine in two areas of southern Somalia could spread throughout the region unless the humanitarian response grows.

Valerie Amos: “12.4 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti are in dire need of help, and the situation is getting worse. A little less than two weeks ago, we declared a famine in two regions in Somalia. Today we are warning that, unless we see a massive increase in the response, the famine will spread to five or six more regions. Tens of thousands of Somalis have already died, and hundreds of thousands face starvation, with consequences for the entire region.”