Four reasons help is slow to reach Somalia’s famine victims

4. No functioning government

Somalia has been torn apart by a two-decade civil war and the fighting has left the country’s infrastructure in shambles. Even if aid agencies get approval to operate, they have to figure out how to deliver food and other supplies to remote areas of the country that lack usable roads – some because of disrepair and some because of landmines. The landing strips necessary for airlifting supplies into the country are also in shambles.

Without a functioning government, there’s no one the aid groups can turn to for help, either. African Union peacekeepers are the most reliable presence in the country.

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