World Food Program chief Somali famine slowed, not avoided

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning World Food Program says support from donors like the United States and Germany have allowed it to postpone — though not entirely avert — famine in Somalia. But WFP Executive Director David Beasley stressed that “we’re not out of this yet.” He told The Associated Press that countries in the Horn of Africa have faced “unprecedented climate impact” from years of drought, and the U.N. agency had been expecting to announce famine in Somalia before donors “stepped up in magnificent ways.” Speaking Tuesday at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Beasley warned that “we still could end up with a famine technically in Somalia” because “famine-like conditions” already exist.