The United Nations World Food Program is increasing the number of people it aims to feed in Somalia this year by 200,000.
The U.N. agency issued a statement Tuesday saying it was revising its previous target of one million people due to a dramatic deterioration in two southern regions of Somalia - the Lower and Middle Shabelle - that normally export food to other areas of the country. It said the regions have recently suffered a variety of shocks, including long rains, rising inflation and an influx of displaced people.
Fighting since January between the government and Islamic insurgents has killed thousands of people in Mogadishu and forced hundreds of thousands more to flee to safer areas.
Government efforts to shut down the insurgency and broker peace between Somalia's warring clans and factions have yet to succeed.
The impoverished Horn of African country has been without a stable central government since 1991.