The drought has also affected nearby Djibouti, where some 100,000 people may be in danger. Many people are reported to be fleeing the parched countryside to the cities in search of water and food. In Somalia, where the central government collapsed about ten years ago, continued anarchy has made it difficult for relief agencies to help. The protracted fighting between rival militia groups and repeated crop failures have displaced thousands of refugees. Between 1.2 and 1.5 million people are believed to be at risk of imminent starvation in the country.
Epidemics are also a major threat.
Several outbreaks of cholera have already been reported. In Kenya, the northwestern Turkana district has been hard hit by drought, leaving some 2.7 million people at risk. Other nations with sizeable numbers of people at risk of starvation include the Sudan, where a long-running civil war has created the world's largest population of internally displaced persons. According to the United Nations, 1.7 million Sudanese will need food aid this year. Uganda has also been plagued by crop shortages, which have affected some 220,000 people.