The famine in Somalia has already claimed tens of thousands of lives according to the United Nations. The famine is the result of periods of prolonged drought which have sent thousands of refugees into neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia in search of food and water.
The U.N. backed Somalian government has appealed to the international community for help and has condemned militants who it claims are preventing aid from reaching people.
In a statement this weekend, Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali also accused the group, al-Shabab, of preventing people from leaving the region under their control in search of food.
This week, the United Nations declared a famine in southern Somalia’s Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions and said nearly half of Somalia’s population needs urgent aid. On Friday, the World Health Organisation said five more regions in southern Somalia are on the brink of famine.