Somalia in crisisTHE UN has declared that two regions of Somalia are now in a state of famine. The worst since 2000 and possible 1991. 11.5m people are thought to be in need of humanitarian assistance across east Africa, but the response by donors has been patchy. Brazil has pledged more to Somalia than Germany and France have combined. Italy offered nothing. Of the $2 billion the UN says the region needs, it has received less than half. The cash available for food in southern Somalia looks likely to run out well before the next rains. The failure of rains, in what is thought to be the driest year for 60 years in certain areas, has caused the immediate crisis. But Somaliahas other ailments, including rapid population growth, with many girls not staying in school and having children early, insufficient farming investment thanks to the insecurity of two decades of war, increased desertification, because the burning of charcoal in the south has led to a lack of tree cover, and an absence of governance. The Economist code pour embarquer la vidéo : >>> http://www.youtube.com/embed/Mpj_05oesOc <<< |