Somalia a failed state

Acute famine is threatening the lives of 3.7 million people in Somalia. Hundreds of thousands are seeking refuge in the capital Mogadishu, which has been torn by civil war for decades. The conservative daily The Times examines the causes of the crisis: "The situation is worse in Somalia than neighbouring countries because it has been a failed state for two decades. In that time Ethiopia has developed - the prevalence of malnutrition there is down by 50 per cent - and it has the capacity to help its people face the current crisis. The opposite is true in Somalia. Conflict and poverty go hand in hand. Unless we tackle this, we will never get beyond short-term fixes and emergency appeals."

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