Famine-struck Somalis struggle to celebrate Ramadan fast

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Islam's holy month of Ramadan should be a time of celebration and prayer, but for Mohamed Idris, a Somali struggling in the famine-hit and war-torn capital, daily survival is all he can care about.

He abstains from food and water in the traditional dawn-to-dusk fast that began on Monday, as Islam requires all able believers to do.

But when the time comes for the traditional evening celebration of delicacies and specially prepared meals, there is still nothing to eat.

"Every year I used to be able to break my fast in a very good manner," Idris said, who fled with his wife and three children from the famine-hit Lower Shabelle region into Mogadishu two months ago.

"But not now because the situation is too bad. We don't have food to break our fast with," the 51-year-old added.

Idris fled to Mogadishu despite fighting there in search of food, but the situation in the city has since also spiraled into famine.

The UN said on Wednesday that famine has spread to three new regions of Somalia, including Mogadishu and the world's largest camp for displaced people at Afgoye, while warning the situation is likely to worsen.

Conflict-ridden Somalia is the hardest hit by an extreme drought affecting 12.4 million people across the Horn of Africa.

"My wife and I wait in line for long hours every day for the food that is being handed out," Idris said sadly.

"When we get food from the feeding center it is not enough - if we feed our children three times a day, we have nothing in the evening.

"But sometimes we even come back with empty hands, because the food runs out before we reach it. Those days are bad for my family."