U.N. Declares Famine in Somalia

The United Nations has declared a state of famine in parts of Somalia, where 3.7 million people are at risk of starvation due to the worst drought in more than 50 years. “If we don't act now, famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months,” the U.N.’s humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, said Wednesday. UNICEF has said 500,000 children are at risk in the Horn of Africa, while the Red Cross has said one in 10 children could die from starvation. The U.N. is seeking security guarantees from armed Somali rebels in order to deliver food to civilians.