Nearly half the people in Somalia are on the edge of starvation. Over 3 million people are facing severe shortages in food and thousands are estimated to have died already. Wednesday the UN declared that a famine exists in the area, hoping to galvanize countries to donate food to the region. The failed state has been at war with itself since the early 90’s. Currently a military group – Al Shabaab – which is aligned with Al Qaeda has control of the worst hit southern part of the country. In addition to destroyed infrastructure, a series of failed harvests have contributed to the famine. The UN has been able to provide some food relief since the militants have allowed some aid workers in for the first time in two years.
Drought and failed crops are not confined to Somalia but are present throughout much of what is known as the Horn of Africa. According to the Guardian.UK the situation is increasingly dire in north and south Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, north Uganda, and north Kenya. Kenya has also been receiving thousands of Somalis fleeing starvation and war. They are crowding into refugee camps across the Kenyan border.
In addition to the starvation crisis in Somalia is the ever present danger to children there due to the 20 years of civil war. In a just released report by Amnesty International children as young as eight have been dragooned to fight for the extremist Muslim group. Their report is a litany of misery imposed on the children in that beleaguered country. Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Africa is quoted in the AI news release:
“This is a never-ending conflict, where children are experiencing unimaginable horrors on a daily basis,” said Michelle Kagari.
“They risk becoming a lost generation if the world continues to ignore the war crimes affecting so many of them.”
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