Over 11 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and the newly formed Republic of South Sudan have been left in need of food, water and emergency healthcare. The U.N. calls it “the worst drought for 60 years), and it is this severe drought that has forced thousands of people to flee their homes and cross their country’s borders in search of aid. Southern Somalia is already experiencing famine – the first for 19 years – and unless the international community acts quickly, it may spread to the rest of the country within months. “We still do not have all the resources for food, clean water, shelter and health services to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Somalis in desperate need,” said Marke Bowden, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia.

The long-running conflict in Somalia has made it very difficult and dangerous for aid agencies to operate inside the country, complicating the crisis. Al-Shabaab, an Islamist insurgent group linked to al Qaeda, has recently once again banned international relief efforts, making it impossible for food agencies to help those most at risk.

From an article by Bryony Jones, CNN
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/22/what-has-caused-the-east-africa-crisis/

Please pray for a lifting of this ban by Al-Shabaab and for the resumption of effective relief efforts where they are most needed. Pray for the rescue of those in the region who need food, water and emergency healthcare and that the international community will be moved to take quick and appropriate action.