MOGADISHU, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, said Thursday that it's appealing for 222.2 million U.S. dollars to support 3.2 million Somali people, including 2 million children, in 2024.

       "Approximately half of Somalis face a shortage of sustainable and safe water for drinking and other household needs, which has increased acute watery diarrhea/cholera cases," UNICEF said in its appeal released in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

       According to UNICEF, 29 drought-affected districts reported 13,000 cholera cases and 31 fatalities in 2023.

       The UN agency said about 1.5 million children under five years of age, roughly equivalent to 40 percent of Somalia's under-five child population, are projected to experience acute wasting from August 2023 to July 2024.