Aid agencies use a five-phase system called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) to determine the severity of a food crisis. These five regions of Somalia fall in the Phase 5 category, which means that means more than two people per 10,000 die each day, acute malnutrition rates are above 30 percent, all livestock is dead, and there is less than 2,100 kcal of food and 4 liters of water available per person per day.

The famine comes to Somalia after two consecutive poor rainy seasons, resulting in one of the driest years since 1950. According to the UN, the impacts of the drought have been exacerbated by high local cereal prices, excess livestock mortality, conflict and restricted humanitarian access in some areas.

Famines are deadly and dangerous. In Sudan and Ethiopia’s 1984 famine, more than 1 million people died, and much of the countries’ GDPs were being allocated to military spending just to quell insurgencies. Rich nations were slow to react to the humanitarian crisis, and as a result, hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives. Other severe food crises have been declared in regions of Sudan, Somalia, North Korea and Ethiopia throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

With nearly 11 million people at risk of starvation in the current food crisis, many are worried that world leaders will make the same mistake again. While an official UN declaration of famine does not legally compel governments to treat famines differently than a less severe crisis, the IPC’s non-binding guidelines require that all basic needs — including water, shelter, sanitation and health — of a famine-stricken region must be provided.

The question now is how quickly world leaders will be able to assist the country in this moment of crisis. Humanitarian agencies have evolved and grown more sophisticated over the last 20 years, so hopefully, disaster response will be more efficient than the past. One thing is sure: foreign assistance is a necessary component. Please sign our petition and stay tuned to the ONE Blog for more analysis and commentary on this topic.

News coverage of the African continent can sometimes neglect the vast political, economic and cultural diversity of its many people and nations. But NPR’s recent radio piece on Somaliland serves as a breath of fresh air.

Situated in the Horn of Africa in a region made famous for chronic war and militant groups, Somaliland is breaking the mold and proving that “relative political and civil stability” is possible.

According to NPR, Somaliland just recently held a small-scale trade fair aimed at showcasing its products in order to attract foreign investment and improve its trade relationship with the international community. Emerging from civil war, the developing success story is even gaining attention from Washington for its unconventional levels of stability and security. To support flourishing cases like that of Somaliland, Johnnie Carson, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, has indicated that the United States is planning to send more diplomats to Somaliland and increase its modest level of aid.

Blogger Elizabeth Dickinson puts Somalia’s fiscal year 2009 budget — a paltry $11 million — into perspective. The money comes from exit fees, customs duties and international aid — and mostly goes toward government salaries.

But apparently, that figure doesn’t get you much. And for a country inflicted with poverty, militant factions and conflict, it probably doesn’t do much, either. According to Dickinson’s research, $11 million is:

- 20 times smaller than the 2010 budget of Topeka, Kansas

- A mere 1/2 of Derek Jeter’s 2010 salary

- 890 times smaller than Starbucks’ 2009 annual revenue

- About equal to the budget of “High School Musical 3″

- About equal to the amount that the Scottsdale, Arizona school district had to cut from its budget this year.

- But good news — you could start between two and three franchises of the Hard Rock Cafe with that amount!

With Somalia topping Foreign Policy’s 2010 Failed States Index, it looks like corruption is partly to blame for their government’s low budget figures. But let’s not forget that Africa loses approximately $148 billion each year as a result of corruption alone.

In fact — compared with peaceful countries — sub-Saharan African countries in conflict have 50 percent more infant deaths, 15 percent more undernourished people, 20 percent more adult illiteracy and 2.5 fewer doctors per person on average.

ONE believes that peaceful countries with leadership accountable to its citizens will have the best chance at winning the fight against extreme poverty and disease. That’s why we’re urging world leaders and donor countries to play a role in promoting and supporting accountability, transparency and stability.

Hopefully next year, Somalia’s budget looks more like “Avatar” than “High School Musical 3″—and with the results to show for it.

Fresh Mogadishu gunfight kills six civilians — Renewed clashes erupted Wednesday between government troops and Islamist rebels in Mogadishu, killing six civilians a day after the insurgents mowed down 33 people, including four MPs in a hotel raid. (AFP)

U.S. Condemns Somali Attack -– “The United States strongly condemned the attack. State Department spokesman PJ Crowley says the fact that the attack took place during Ramadan highlights al-Shabab’s complete disregard for human life, Somali culture, and Islam.” (VOA)

South Sudan facing currency crisis over oil payments — South Sudan has accused the north of switching payments of oil revenue from US dollars to the local currency in violation of their peace accord. The change deprives the south of its major source of foreign currency, restricting the goods it can import. North and south Sudan agreed to share the oil revenues equally when they signed the peace agreement in 2005, ending decades of civil war. South Sudan is due to hold a referendum on independence in January 2011. (BBC News)

South Sudan plans mass return ahead of referendum – South Sudan is preparing to repatriate some 1.5 million southerners from the north and Egypt, ahead of a referendum due next January on whether the south should secede.  (BBC News)

Pretoria defends China’s Africa policy – South Africa’s trade minister on Tuesday embraced China’s surging investment in Africa, saying that Beijing was not pursuing a neocolonial policy and its growing interest in the continent would bring huge benefits.  The trade minister is part of a delegation led by South African President Jacob Zuma that includes almost 400 business executives and 11 cabinet members, the biggest group yet to accompany a South African leader abroad. (Financial Times)

Could HSBC Get Stung In Africa? —  “Suddenly HSBC’s decision to jump into South Africa doesn’t look like such a great idea. London investors who bought into the bank’s stock on Monday sold it off the next day, sending its shares down by 1.2% on Tuesday after the bank confirmed it was in talks with Old Mutual to buy its 52% majority stake in Nedbank, South Africa’s fourth largest financial services company, for an estimated $7 billion.” (Forbes)

China, South Africa Sign Deals To Deepen Ties In Resources, Energy — China and South Africa on Tuesday signed a raft of commercial deals in mining, finance, nuclear energy and other sectors. The deals were made during a visit to China by South African President Jacob Zuma. China is South Africa’s top trading partner, and South Africa’s economy–more developed than many others in the region–has been a focal point of a broader Chinese push into the continent aimed at securing resources and expanding China’s international clout. (Wall Street Journal)

At Least 33 People Killed in Attack on Somali Hotel — Somali insurgents disguised as police officers stormed a Mogadishu hotel on Tuesday morning and opened fire, killing at least 33 people, including 6 lawmakers, in one of the deadliest attacks in months, Somali officials said. The hotel attack seems to be part of a bigger offensive that insurgents opened on Monday against government forces and shows that the insurgents have figured out how to infiltrate nearly every inch of Mogadishu, even within the parts of the city that the government claims it firmly controls. (New York Times)

Transparency on extractive industries will help beat corruption — Frank Vogl of Transparency International writes that the requirement of oil, gas and mining companies to report their financial dealings with African governments, a new provision included in the recently passed U.S. financial legislation, may now lead to a quantum leap in fighting corruption and bringing needed transparency to such industries. (Financial Times, letter by Frank Vogl)

Billions of aid dollars buy U.S. little goodwill in Pakistan — The U.S. government has provided about $18 billion in civilian and military aid to Pakistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Yet according to a Pew Research Center survey released last month, half of Pakistanis believe the United States gives little to no assistance here. For Obama administration officials, that’s a source of deep anxiety — and frustration. U.S. officials say aid money is making a positive impact, if not always a widely noticed one. (Washington Post)

Aid agency warns of ‘double disaster’ for Niger — Niger has been hit by a double disaster as recent floods compound an existing food crisis, the UK aid agency Oxfam said this week. Aid workers are struggling to help thousands of people affected by the floods which have hit many areas of West and Central Africa. Oxfam says the situation is stretching resources to the limit as it also tries to respond to the food shortages. Nearly eight million people, or half the population, are already facing hunger because of failed harvests. (BBC News)

Rwandan Rebels Raped at Least 179 Women in Congo, Humanitarian Officials Say — A mob of Rwandan rebels raped at least 179 women last month during a weekend raid on a community of villages in eastern Congo, the United Nations said Monday. The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or F.D.L.R., was blamed for the attack. The F.D.L.R. is an ethnic Hutu rebel group that has been terrorizing the hills of eastern Congo for years, preying on villages in a quest for the natural resources beneath them. (New York Times)

Proposed Restrictions on the News Media Cause Alarm in South Africa — Business executives, civic leaders and journalists in South Arica are warning that stringent measures on the news media being advanced by the governing African National Congress will threaten press freedom, enshroud much official activity in secrecy, potentially punish offending journalists or whistle-blowers with up to 25 years in prison and undermine the fight against corruption in the continent’s largest economy. (New York Times)

In Kenya’s capital, Somali immigrant neighborhood is incubator for jihad —  In Nairobi, Kenya, schools and mosques where extremist views are taught are reshaping the Somali immigrant community that for years has lived peacefully in the capital of this predominantly Christian country. Moderate imams now compete with hard-line preachers pushing a strict interpretation of Islam. (Washington Post)

Survivors of Pakistan floods face growing health problems — The misery of Pakistan’s flooding, which has already displaced millions, is showing up in the form of communicable illnesses, the United Nations said today. Up to 1.5 million flood victims in Pakistan were being treated for a variety of ailments and conditions, including acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and skin infections. (CNN)

Clinton discusses Obama’s ‘Global Health Initiative’ at Johns Hopkins —  In pressing for the Global Health Initiative, which provides $63 billion over 2009-2014 to combat health problems like malaria and HIV/AIDS, Clinton said last week at a speech at Johns Hopkins University, that health aid for developing countries was not a partisan issue, and commended former President George W. Bush’s administration for “ground-breaking work” in global health. (Reuters)

Wyclef Jean Says He’ll Challenge Election Ruling — Wyclef Jean, the hip-hop star who had hoped to become Haiti’s next president, said Sunday that his lawyers would challenge the recent ruling from election officials that kept him from the list of eligible candidates. In a message on Sunday, Jean said he had decided to appeal because: “We have met all the requirements set by the laws. And the law must be respected.” (New York Times)

U.S. charges 14 with giving support to Somali insurgent group – Federal authorities charged 14 people accused of providing funding and recruits to a militant group in Somalia with ties to al-Qaeda. Last month, the group claimed responsibility for bombings in Uganda that killed at least 76 people. (Greg Miller, Washington Post)

White House Party for Africa Leaves Out Leaders – President Obama celebrated the 50th anniversaries of 17 African nations, but he did not invite a single African leader to the forum. The State Department denies accusations that the President refuses to celebrate with corrupt leaders, noting that American officials have met with African leaders in other settings. (Adam Nossiter, NY Times)

President Paul Kagame under scrutiny – Despite Rwanda’s election marred by murder, censorship and meaningful opposition, Paul Kagame, the incumbent, is set to win 90% of the vote. Kagame is trying to focus on his past achievements – food security, record harvests, women empowerment, and the strengthening of government institutions. (The Economist)

Young Africans Seek U.S. Partnership to Boost Democracy and Development – AllAfrica.com reports on this week’s White House forum celebrating leading young Africans. “I don’t see Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world,” Obama said at the forum. (Saratu Abiola and Carine Umuhumuza, AllAfrica.com)

African Union leaders have agreed to reinforce the AU peacekeeping force in Somalia to tackle al-Shabab militants.

At a summit in Uganda, they approved a request to send 2,000 more troops to the Somali capital Mogadishu.

Rules of engagement are to be changed to allow the troops to fire first if they are facing imminent attack.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had wanted a tougher mandate to “eliminate” the al-Qaeda linked group that allowed forces to go on the offensive.

He told the BBC that AU peacekeepers were “confused” by the current mandate.

“They don’t understand what they are doing. So they need a robust answer, a robust incisive answer,” he said.

Dozens of people were killed two weeks ago in twin bomb attacks in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, which al-Shabab said it had carried out.

Now, the Washington Post and other news agencies report that these same Somali Islamists have banned the UN food altogether:

Trucks carrying food aid have not been allowed to pass through a checkpoint in the Afgooye corridor near the capital of Mogadishu for the past two weeks, WFP spokesman Peter Smerdon said.

Afgooye has the largest concentration of displaced people in the country. It is nominally controlled by the insurgent group Hizbul Islam but allied Islamist group al-Shabab also operates roadblocks there. On Sunday, al-Shabab prohibited WFP from distributing food in areas under its control because it says the food undercuts farmers selling recently harvested crops.

“Somali farmers are having a hard time selling their produce because WFP distributes food aid across the regions and that is demoralizing,” an al-Shabab statement said. “The organization has been completely banned.”

This development comes amidst reports of growing tensions between the US and the UN over aid restrictions.

UN official Mark Bowden claims that accusations of aid diversions in to the Shabab– who the US government has labeled a terrorist group– are unfounded. The US for its part contends that aid is indeed being diverted, leaving the Shabab to blame for Somalis not getting the aid they need.

You’ll recall that early last month that threats from the Shabab proved to be a serious impediment to the World Food Programme who then had to implement a partial suspension of food distribution in much of southern Somalia.

We’ll keep you posted on any developments.