Somalia Famine Toll Was Higher Than Initially Reported

The death toll from the 2011 Somali famine was higher than initially reported, according to new information published this week. The new death toll, about 260,000 people, is more than double the amount of previous reports.

The aid community also believes that tens of thousands of people died without need because the international community was not quick to respond to the early signs of hunger in east Africa.

The toll was also made worse by extremist militants from al-Shabab. The militants banned food aid deliveries to the areas of south-central Somalia that were under their control. Those same militants are responsible for keeping workers from assessing the true death toll from the Somali famine.

The new report is the most comprehensive to date and claims that the death toll was actually 260,000 — half of which were children aged five or younger. The report is set to be made public on Thursday by FEWSNET, a famine early warning system that is funded by the US government’s USAID, as well as the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit – Somalia. The unit is funded by the US and Britain.

The new report on the Somali famine was compiled using research from specialists experienced in estimating death tolls in both emergencies and disasters. But the death toll will likely remain an estimate because of the imprecise nature of data available on the famine.

An earlier report published last year by aid groups Oxfam and Save the Children revealed that rich donor nations waited until the Somali famine was in full swing before they donated money to help stop it. The report also alleged that aid agencies were slow to respond to the crisis.

But even a faster response time likely would not have saved deaths in the areas controlled by al-Shabab. The militant group was responsible for preventing many men from leaving the region hit by famine. They also refused to allow any emergency food aid inside.

Thousands of Somalis walked dozens or even hundreds of miles to reach humanitarian camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. In the process, they lost countless numbers of children or elderly members along the routes that became known as roads of death.

The initial death toll for the Somali famine reported by the UK was between 50,000 and 100,000.

[Image via Oxfam East Africa]