Remember July 20, 2011 Famine in the Horn of Africa

On July 20, 2011, the United Nations declared famine in the Horn of Africa. Not that anyone associated with this part of the world was surprised. The root causes of the famine severe drought, conflict and destruction, and power struggles between rival factions had been going on for years in eastern Africa. In fact, since January 2011 the number of people arriving at the Dadaab Refugee camp had soared. From 200 to 300 victims of war and internecine violence arriving in the camps each day, the ranks had swollen to reach more than 1,000 people a day almost all of whom were severely malnourished and dehydrated, and some in the terminal stages of starvation.