Famine and conflict can either be prevented, or the impact minimised, if institutions and mechanisms of good governance are in place

Once again, the lethal combination of drought and conflict is setting the course for a major crisis

Funky dancing in a seaside bar, Vespa scooters on broad boulevards: the images of a lost Somalia are at odds with a place better known for war.

Although difficult to quantify, SA’s contribution to relief efforts in Somalia exceeds R20-million so far, says Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.

The UN says famine is set to spread to two new southern Somali regions with millions of people reeling from extreme drought.

The EU’s foreign affairs chief has urged world governments to meet a "moral obligation" to send aid into the drought-hit Horn of Africa.

Beneath the soaring arches of the bombed out ruins of a cathedral, families fleeing extreme drought build huts of rag and plastic for shelter.