In Somalia massive livestock deaths due to drought -  60 per cent of herds in some areas - have severely damaged pastoralists' livelihoods. The livestock losses threaten to exacerbate the country's food security situation, which remains critical in the central and northern pastoral areas, FAO warned today.

With forecasts pointing to below-average rains during April-June, urgent support is needed to build the resilience of pastoralist communities and avert a deterioration in livelihood and food security, FAO said in its Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) report.