Forty humanitarian agencies have warned of an impending catastrophe in Somalia unless urgent action is taken.

A million Somalis have left their homes because of insecurity and hunger, while a further 20,000 flee the capital Mogadishu every month, they say.

Over the past year Mogadishu has been rocked by almost daily violence between fighters and Ethiopian troops supporting Somalia's government.

The UN Security Council will discuss the situation on Thursday.

Last week, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon presented the council with a report proposing the deployment of 27,000 peacekeepers to replace the stretched African Union force.

'Catastrophic'

In a joint statement, the 40 local and international aid agencies pointed out that in October last year they warned that Somalia was heading towards crisis.

Six months on, they said the situation in the war-ravaged country had deteriorated dramatically and access to those in need had got far worse.

More than a million Somalis have been forced to leave their homes because of insecurity and hunger, the statement said.

The continued fighting in Mogadishu was displacing 20,000 others every month, the agencies warned.

The agencies said two million Somalis need daily help to survive the crisis, which has been made worse by record food prices, hyper-inflation and drought in many parts of the country.

Seasonal rains due to start soon are also predicted to fail.

"For too long, the needs of ordinary Somalis have been forgotten," the agencies said.

They urged "the international community and all parties to the conflict to urgently focus their attention on the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Somalia".

"They must ensure access for humanitarian supplies, live up to their responsibility to protect civilians and address the environment of impunity," they added.

"The humanitarian crisis will become more and more complex and will continue to deepen in the absence of a political solution to the current crisis."

Last month, the UN warned that Somalia was the world's "forgotten crisis".

PHOTO CAPTION

Illegal immigrants from Somalia walk to the port town of Bossaso March 13, 2008.

BBC