All south Somalia slipping into famine - U.N., Posted by Meosha Eaton

LIBOI, Kenya, July 29 - The whole of drought- and conflict-wracked southern Somalia is heading into famine as the Horn of Africa food crisis deepens, the United Nations said on Friday.

In a report for countries sending aid, the U.N.'s umbrella humanitarian agency OCHA said the "crisis in southern Somalia is expected to continue to worsen through 2011, with all areas of the south slipping into famine."

Somali refugee camps not coping, Posted by Meosha Eaton

Struggling through parched bush and baking heat, Rahmo Mohammed brought her severely malnourished son Saeed to Ethiopia's Kobe refugee camp to save him. That was three weeks ago, and he is still not better, his frail body too sick to accept medicine.

“He's getting worse. I would like to get him more medicine,” his mother said sadly. “Even when they give him medicine, he will not take it.”

U.N. Warns of Famine in East Africa , Posted by Meosha Eaton

The threat of famine and starvation is raising it's ugly head for the first time in this part of Africa for half a century. There were some pretty harrowing images on the BBC News last night which put the Murdoch farrago into tawdry perspective.

Quote:

UN declares Somalia famine in Bakool and Lower Shabelle
   
An estimated 10 million people have been affected by the drought in east Africa.  The United Nations has declared a famine in two areas of southern Somalia as it suffers the worst drought in more than half a century.