MOGADISHU, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The UN World Food Program (WFP) announced on Tuesday that it needs 228 million U.S. dollars between April and September to expand its humanitarian assistance efforts in Somalia.

The latest projections for the April to June period indicate that 3.4 million people in Somalia are facing acute food insecurity, showing improvement, especially in rural areas where enhanced pasture and water for agriculture are expected, the WFP said.

"High levels of malnutrition persist in Somalia with 1.7 million children under five expected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2024, including 430,000 children likely to face life-threatening severe acute malnutrition," the agency said in its report.

The WFP said it has signed a partnership agreement with the UN refugee agency UNHCR to work toward effective support to refugees, asylum seekers and returnees.

"Within this agreement, the WFP is leveraging on its expertise on cash-based transfers to cover food and nutritional needs of refugees, asylum seekers, and returnees for a period of six months," it said.

In March, the WFP said it reached 2 million people with 31 million dollars in cash transfers and 3,205 metric tonnes of in-kind food, including 232,000 people served under an expansion of the government-led shock responsive safety net for human capital project.

According to the UN agency, forecasts suggest that the total rainfall from April to June in the upcoming rainy season is likely to be normal, with some areas experiencing above-average precipitation.

"However, this marks the third season in a row with average to above-average rainfall, which should aid in the gradual recovery of agriculture and livestock," the WFP said. Enditem

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