UPSC Prelims 2023 Q78: Civil Strife and Famine Country — Explained
Which one of the following countries has been suffering from decades of civil strife and food shortages and was in news in the recent past for its very severe famine?
- Angola
- Costa Rica
- Ecuador
- Somalia
Answer: (d) Somalia
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — Angola's 27-year civil war ended in April 2002, when the government and UNITA signed an agreement after the death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. Its south-western provinces of Cunene, Huila and Namibe had severe hunger in 2021, during their worst drought in 40 years. That was a regional food crisis and was not described as a famine, and the country has not had civil strife for the last two decades.
- b: incorrect — Costa Rica is one of the most stable countries in Latin America. After a short civil war in 1948, José Figueres Ferrer abolished the army, and the 1949 constitution made this permanent. It has no history of long civil strife or famine.
- c: incorrect — Ecuador has had economic stress, rising gang violence and food insecurity affecting about 2 million people, according to WFP. None of this amounts to decades of civil war or a severe famine, so it does not fit either part of the description.
- d: correct — Somalia has had armed conflict since its central government collapsed in 1991, and the al-Shabaab insurgency is still active. The UN declared famine there on 20 July 2011, and that famine killed nearly 260,000 people. In 2021–23 five rainy seasons failed in a row, and in September 2022 the IPC projected famine (IPC Phase 5) for Baidoa and Burhakaba districts in Bay region. A WHO–UNICEF study released in March 2023 estimated 43,000 excess deaths in 2022, half of them children under five.
How to eliminate
Read the question as two tests: decades of civil strife and a very severe famine in the news. Costa Rica fails at once. It is known as a peaceful democracy that abolished its army, which is basic general knowledge. Ecuador is a South American country with crime and economic problems, not a long civil war or famine. That leaves Angola and Somalia, both African countries with a history of war. Angola's war ended in 2002, so 'decades of civil strife' does not describe it today. Somalia's conflict has run since 1991. Also note the topic tag 'Horn of Africa': Somalia is the only Horn of Africa country among the options. The fact to remember is that Somalia had a declared famine in 2011 and was on the brink of famine again in 2022, alongside the Horn of Africa drought of 2020–23.
Know more
Famine is a technical classification, not just a word for hunger. The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) sorts areas into five phases. Phase 5 is 'Famine'. An area counts as being in famine only when all three thresholds below are crossed.
| IPC Famine threshold | Value |
|---|---|
| Households with extreme food gaps | at least 20% |
| Children under 5 with acute malnutrition | at least 30% |
| Crude death rate | 2 per 10,000 people per day |
Households can be in Phase 5 'Catastrophe' even when the area as a whole is not classified as a famine.
Why Somalia keeps going back to the brink:
- Conflict: the state collapsed in 1991, and the al-Shabaab insurgency cuts off markets and aid access.
- Climate: the Horn of Africa had five failed rainy seasons in a row in 2020–23, its worst drought in about 40 years.
- Livelihoods: most people are pastoralists or agropastoralists, so livestock deaths destroy their income.
- Prices: food and fuel prices rose after 2022.
Famines recognised under IPC:
| Country | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Somalia | 2011 | Nearly 260,000 deaths, half of them children |
| South Sudan | 2017 | Parts of Unity state |
In 2022 the IPC projected famine for Baidoa and Burhakaba in Somalia's Bay region. Humanitarian aid kept a famine declaration from being made, but a WHO–UNICEF study still estimated 43,000 excess deaths that year. A later update put drought-related excess deaths at 71,000 between 2022 and mid-2024.
Key bodies: FAO and WFP publish the joint 'Hunger Hotspots' early-warning report. WFP runs the food response on the ground.
In the news
Through the second half of 2022 the UN, FAO and WFP warned repeatedly that famine was imminent in Somalia, and the IPC projected famine for Baidoa and Burhakaba for October–December 2022. In March 2023, two months before the exam, a WHO–UNICEF study estimated 43,000 drought-related excess deaths in Somalia in 2022.