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Famine in Somalia
Faminean extreme and long-term shortage of foodcauses widespread hunger and sometimes death to millions of people. Natural causes, such as weather, plant diseases, and massive insect infestations, can cause famine. Drought is the most common natural cause. In addition, human beings can cause famine. Wars and political violence often destroy crops and prevent the adequate distribution of food. The worst famines usually involve a combination of both human and natural causes. The Horn of Africa, which includes Ethiopia and Somalia, has been the site of recent famines in the 1980s and 1990s.

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Natural Causes A lack of rain in successive seasons resulted in drought. Drought prevented the growth of enough food to feed the countrys population.

Human Causes Somali gunmen often looted relief shipments and then extracted payment for protecting relief workers. Other political causes, such as disagreements between warring factions, also prevented the delivery of food supplies.

UNDERSTANDING FAMINE

Working with a partner, use the Internet to research different international aid organizations. Then write a news report about those organizations.

Create a visual aid comparing

the various groups.

Include information about how

the groups are funded.

RESEARCH LINKS
CL ASSZONE .COM

FAMINE IN SOMALIA

Results

In the early 1990s, more than 300,000 Somalis died of famine, and another 30,000 died in a related civil war.

Principal causes included drought,

Thirsty Somalis plead for water delivered by the International Red Cross in Baidoa, Somalia, in 1992. Aid agencies estimated that famine killed between 25 and 50 people a day in this town in 1992.

desertification, and civil war.

Underlying causes, such as

increased growth of cash crops and reliance on livestock, stemmed from a history of foreign intervention dating back to Italian and British colonization in the 19th century.
OTHER FAMINES

18761878 India Drought caused famine that killed about five million people.

19321934 Soviet Union Between six and eight million peasants died because of actions by the government. 19581960 China Around 20 million people died during government reforms.

Disasters! 437