Somalia Drought

A famine could be declared in Somalia within weeks, affecting hundreds of thousands of people in two of the country's worst drought-affected areas and in displacement camps.

Such a declaration is rare and a sign of the dire consequences from the worst drought in decades in the Horn of Africa. 

Thousands of people have died, including nearly 900 children under 5 being treated for malnutrition, according to United Nations data. The drought has astonished resilient herders and farmers by lasting four failed rainy seasons, starting two years ago.

The last significant famine declared anywhere in the world was also in Somalia, in 2011. The only famine declared since then was in two counties in South Sudan in 2017.