"Somalia Drought Claims 43,000 Lives: UN Report"

A new report estimates that 43,000 people died in Somalia's longest drought on record last year, with half of them likely being children under 5 years old. At least 18,000 people, and as many as 34,000, are forecast to die in the first six months of this year. Somalia and neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya are facing a sixth consecutive failed rainy season while rising global food prices and the war in Ukraine complicate the hunger crisis. The U.N. and partners earlier this year said they were no longer forecasting a formal famine declaration for Somalia for now but called the situation "extremely critical" with more than 6 million people hungry in that country alone.