Recent release: U.S. remains committed to helping Somalia a year after famine declaration

Nancy Lindborg, assistant administrator for the USAID Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, reflects on the one-year anniversary of the declaration of famine in Somalia in this post in the State Department's DipNote blog, stating, "Because of lessons learned during the last Somalia famine in the early 1990s, we were able to mount a smart and effective response." She continues, "USAID worked around the clock in the region and in Washington to ensure strategies, supplies and partners were in place, including creative approaches to address the limited humanitarian access in many parts of Somalia." Though the famine abated in February, "the situation remains tenuous in Somalia," Lindborg notes, concluding that "it is imperative to address the need for a stable, legitimate government that can meet the needs of the Somalia people. This is a priority of the U.S. government and our international partners" (7/26).