Somalia is on the brink of starvation

For three decades Somalia has lurched between disorder and anarchy. The government controls only bits of the country. The rest is in the hands of jihadists adept at blowing themselves up in crowded places. For many Somalis life is poor, brutish and short. They live in the world’s fifth poorest and eighth most violent country. Their life expectancy is the sixth lowest.

Droughts and floods add to the misery. In 2011 failed rains contributed to the worst famine of the 21st century. More than 250,000 people died, half of them children. A decade later history may repeat itself. The most extensive drought in four decades is wilting crops and killing livestock in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. More than 18m people in the region are struggling to find enough to eat; children are dying in all three countries.