Скачать или смотреть UN report: 260,000 people died in Somali famine

A new study has shown that the famine that hit Somalia from 2010 to 2012 killed nearly 260,000 people, half of them aged 5 and under.

The new figure more than doubles previous death toll estimates and comes as officials warn that food insecurity still threatens over a million people in Somalia. The report was made public by FEWSNET, a USAID famine early warning system, and the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia, which is funded by the US and Britain. The crisis was caused by a severe drought, worsened by conflict between rival groups fighting for power.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said humanitarian aid should have been provided more quickly. The number of deaths is higher than the estimated 220,000 people who died during Somalia's 1992 famine.