Somalia famine 'killed 260,000 people'

[AhlulbaytSoldier]

Nearly 260,000 people died during the famine that hit Somalia from 2010 to 2012, a study shows.

Half of them were children under the age of five, says the report by the UN food agency and the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

The number of deaths was higher than the estimated 220,000 people who died during the 1992 famine.

The crisis was caused by a severe drought, worsened by conflict between rival groups fighting for power.

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) senior economist Mark Smulders said the "true enormity of this human tragedy" had emerged for the first time from the study, done jointly with the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net).

Western aid group ban
"By nature, estimating mortality in emergencies is an imprecise science, but given the quantity and quality of data that were available, we are confident in the strength of the study," said Fews Net official Chris Hillbruner.

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Major African Hunger Crises

Somalia, 2010-2012: Nearly 260,000 die of hunger caused by drought and conflict
Niger, 2010: Food shortages affect more than 7 million people after crops fail; 2005 - thousands die following drought and locust invasion
Sudan, 2008: Localised famine in some areas of southern Sudan due to war and drought
Ethiopia, 2000: Three consecutive years of drought leave millions at risk, with famine declared in Gode, the Somali region
Democratic Republic of Congo, 1998-2004: Severe food crisis caused by conflict, millions affected by hunger
Somalia, 1991-1992: Drought and war contribute to famine across the country; about 250,000 famine-related deaths reported in 1992
Ethiopia, 1984-1985: Up to one million people die in famine caused by conflict, drought and economic mismanagement
Nigeria, 1967-1970: One million die in civil war and famine in the breakaway Biafran republic
Uganda, 1970s: Localised famine in Karamoja leaves thousands dead
What is a famine?
"It suggests that what occurred in Somalia was one of the worst famines in the last 25 years," he added.

The UN first declared a famine in July 2011 in Somalia's Southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions, which were controlled by the militant Islamist group al-Shabab, which is aligned to al-Qaeda.

It denied there was a famine and banned several Western aid agencies from operating in its areas.

The famine later spread to other areas, including Middle Shabelle, Afgoye and at camps for displaced people in the government-controlled capital, Mogadishu.

An estimated 4.6% of the total population and 10% of children under five died in southern and central Somalia, the report says.

"The report confirms we should have done more before the famine was declared," said Philippe Lazzarini, UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Somalia.

"Warnings that began as far back as the drought in 2010 did not trigger sufficient early action," he said in a statement, AFP news agency reports.

In Lower Shabelle, 18% of children under five died and in Mogadishu 17%, the report said.

Somalia was worst hit by extreme drought in 2011 that affected more than 13 million people across the Horn of Africa.

Tens of thousands of people fled their homes in search of food.

The UN declared the famine over in February 2012.

During more than 20 years of civil war, Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, rival politicians and Islamist militants battle for control - a situation that has allowed lawlessness to flourish.

Last September, a UN-backed government came to power, after eight years of transitional rule, bringing some stability to some areas.

[AhlulbaytSoldier]

We underestimated this famine. Its in our interest not to repeat the same mistake ,



Spokesman of Southern Communities

[manaxe88]

AUN intii dhimatay, illahay arsaaq xalaal ah somalida ha siiyo, colaada iyo gaajada raboow ka saar somalida amin

[AbkoowDhiblaawe]

AUN

[Rabshoole]

AHUN

[Titanium]

Shabab made the famine 100x worse. They turned the drought into a famine. They closed down aid organizations. They jailed Somalis who were fleeing looking for food. They took the people's crops and livestock as a tax even when it hasn't rained for years.

Al Shabab is responsible for the quarter of a million deaths.

AUN.

[misterioso]

Shabab made the famine 100x worse. They turned the drought into a famine. They closed down aid organizations. They jailed Somalis who were fleeing looking for food. They took the people's crops and livestock as a tax even when it hasn't rained for years.

Al Shabab is responsible for the quarter of a million deaths.

AUN.

First, AUN to all. Second, the report states:

"Warnings that began as far back as the drought in 2010 did not trigger sufficient early action," he said in a statement, AFP news agency reports.

The UN knew about it years before it happened, but didn't take action until it was too late. They delayed it for political reasons.

[kambuli]

Coolaad iyo Abaar waa isdaba socdaan...Ilaahow colaadda Somali ka qabooji...AUN intii dhimatay...

[AhlulbaytSoldier]

Coolaad iyo Abaar waa isdaba socdaan...Ilaahow colaadda Somali ka qabooji...AUN intii dhimatay...

Ameen, and may Allah give you teeth so you can eat your beloved food again: Dhagaxo

[Based]

alxamdulilah, we're better off without a government



The 1975 drought that killed 300,000 + in Ethiopia killed a negligible amount of people in Somalia because of an effective government that airlifted hundreds of thousands to safety and thousands more had their herds restocked.

The 1984 drought that killed up to 1 million Ethiopians similarly killed a negligible amount of Somalis in part because of government policy.

Within the first two years of anarchy, however, we lost hundreds of thousands to famine and once again lost hundreds of thousands more in the most recent food crisis.
It's obvious that without an effective government, we can look forward to being a byword for hunger and watching thousands of our countrymen starve to death whenever there is a drought.

Get your shit togther Somalia, I really don't ever want to see skeletal Somali children on the telly anymore