Friday, May 16, 2008

The Perfect Storm


Safia Ali, mother of five, has not eaten in seven days. Her 1-year old son, Farhan, has fallen ill.

The consensus now is that all the same elements of the early 1990s — high-intensity conflict, widespread displacement and drought — are lining up again, and at a time of the biggest spike in global food prices in more than 30 years. The United Nations says 2.6 million Somalis need assistance and the number could soon swell to 3.5 million, nearly half the estimated population. If there is excellent rain or a sudden peace, the crisis may ease. But weather projections and even the rosiest political forecasts do not predict that.

-Famine Looms as Wars Rend Horn of Africa

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