In 2011, an unusually long dry period coupled with civil war-like conflicts led to one of the most serious humanitarian disasters in history. According to the United Nations, some ten million people in Kenya, Ethiopia, and particularly in Somalia, were affected. The violent conflicts among clans, lack of effective state structures, and continued crop loss led to a chronic lack of foodstuffs, potable water, and medication for a considerable part of the population.
The drought intensified the situation: hundreds of thousands were forced to flee the affected region. Many of them died on their way through the desert, including, in the first few weeks, 30,000 children. Four hundred thousand refugees sought shelter at the Kenyan refugee camp Dadaab—a camp equipped to house 90,000 people.