In excess of Somalia's 2011 famine when tens of thousands of children died, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the number of severely malnourished children in Somalia had risen to more than half a million

"We have more than half a million children facing avoidable deaths. It's a nightmare over the heads, "he said, adding that no country has seen this level yet this century.

The United Nations warned that parts of the country would be hit by famine in the coming months at a time when the Horn of Africa region was facing the absence of rain for the fifth consecutive season.

The 2011 famine had killed more than a quarter of a million people in Somalia, half of whom were children.

More than 513 thousand children under the age of five are expected to suffer from severe malnutrition, meaning they are several times more likely to die of diseases such as measles, malaria and cholera that are prevalent in the country. This represents a 33% increase in the number of children at risk since June.

Last week, UNICEF announced that more than 700 children had died in feeding centres across the country.

Elder pointed out that many of these centres are operating at maximum capacity and that children are being treated on the ground.

"There are children in critical condition, and without treatment, they may die within hours."