CRISIS

Somalia Famine Relief Thwarted

Most at-risk areas cannot be accessed.

While nearly 13 million people are on the brink of starvation in Somalia, U.S. officials and global relief agencies said Monday that efforts to abate the deadly famine crisis have been thwarted due to inaccessibility. Even in the "best-case scenario," the famine is doomed to worsen, as the most at-risk areas remain cut off from relief. Somalia has been hit hardest by drought than any other country in the region, and with the area's dry season peaking in the upcoming months, there is no sign of imminent relief. Efforts to relieve the famine have also been hindered as officials try to push food through dangerous areas occupied by insurgents linked to Al Qaeda. The insurgent group Shabab, listed by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization, is reportedly detaining people who try to flee the famine in camps.