Thousands of Somalis Flee Famine

Tens of thousands of Somalis are fleeing their country due to one of the worst famines in this generation as the United Nations warned Monday that there could be a coming humanitarian crisis in East Africa. Nearly 170,000 Somalis have fled to Ethiopia and Kenya, with an estimated 1,300 arriving every day in Kenya and 1,700 entering Ethiopia. Al-Shabab, Al Qaeda’s wing in Somalia, has barred international agencies from delivering aid and has heavily taxed ordinary citizens on food and other essential goods, only making the crisis worse. The militia denies the U.N.’s claim that tens of thousands of Somalis have died because of the famine. The last time such a famine hit was in 1992, killing hundreds and leading to a U.S.-peacekeeping mission that ended with 18 Americans being killed in Mogadishu.