The issue of the famine crisis crippling Somalia and its environs topped the agenda of United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting, which was led by the United Kingdom’s (UK) Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, in New York, yesterday.

According to Ceoafrica, Johnson, who was in Somalia last week as part of a tour of East Africa, said that "if the international community learned the lessons of 2011 and acted decisively, famine could be prevented".

An estimated 260,000 people died as a result of the famine that hit Somalia between 2010 and 2012.

Boris described the famine crisis as “tragic and hopeful”.

He also commented on the state of democracy in the country, after Members of Parliaments elected a new president last month by saying “I look forward to a one-person one-vote election in four years’ time".

During the meeting, he said “We meet at a moment when Somalia faces the daunting prospect of its 3rd famine in 25 years”.

“The good news is that if we learn the lesson of 2011 and act early & decisively, then famine can still be prevented.