Hundreds of thousands of people are on the move to try and find food and water—with many not surviving the journey. In Somalia alone, over half a million people have already fled their homes since the start of 2022. Without action to help people already dying of hunger, the country could soon see mass death. Across East Africa, extreme hunger is on the rise. The region is entering a fifth consecutive season without enough rainfall. The drought has even surpassed the failed rains of the 2011 famine, which killed over 250,000 people.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Persia was ruled by the Qajar dynasty, which suffered from weak central authority, corruption, and limited administrative capacity. The country was strategically important due to its location between British-controlled India, Russian territories, and the Ottoman Empire. As a result, foreign powers routinely interfered in Persian affairs. When World War I broke out in 1914, Persia declared neutrality. However, this neutrality was not respected. British, Russian, and Ottoman troops entered and occupied different regions of the country.
