Tens of thousands of children have died, and around a million Somalis have fled their homeland, as a result of the famine that struck East Africa this year. NGOs working in the region predicted the crisis long before it drew the world's attention (among those sounding the alarm was Oxfam's Channel 16 project, a partner of New Internationalist). But the international media did turn to the famine as its toll grew, and by September $1.6 billion of aid had been pledged.

However, less attention was paid to the famine's causes, among them the increasing politicization of aid and the many difficulties arising from the west's relations with Al Shabab, the group controlling large swathes of southern Somalia. In our October issue we feature an 'expert's view' on this subject from Sally Healy, an Associate Fellow of the African Programme at Chatham House in the UK, and leader of their Horn of Africa programme.  Here, she discussed her article and the question it raises with Nyan Storey in his latest Radio NI interview.