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Somalia on the Verge of Famine As U.N. Pleads for Help

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The U.N. is warning that Somalia, which is struggling with severe drought after two seasons of weak rainfall, could face a return to famine in April without a “massive” increase in global aid:

DEADLY POTENTIAL

The looming crisis threatens to be even bigger than a 2011 famine that killed an estimated 260,000 people. Three-quarters of the country’s livestock have already died, numerous open-water sources have dried up, and cereal production has fallen by 75%.

ACTING FAST

Mindful that funding from the international community came in 2011 only after 13 famine warnings had been ignored, the U.N. made an urgent call on Feb. 2 for donors to give at least $300 million to ease the crisis.

MAJOR OBSTACLES

There are fears that al-Shabab militants will divert or hold up aid and newly elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed will be unable to ease its passage in a country that lacks a functioning government. The real test, however, is whether fatigued Western nations react fast enough or wait until the numbers of the dead can no longer be ignored.

–TARA JOHN

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