DADAAB, Kenya — The people start trudging in at dawn, more than a thousand every day, exhausted, sick and starving, materializing out of the thin desert air to take their places at the gates of the world’s largest refugee camp, here in northern Kenya.

TheyarefleeingoneoftheworstdroughtsinSomaliain60yearsandmanyhavewalkedforweeksthrough an anarchic landscape replete with bandits and militants but little food.Bythetimetheygethere,manycanbarelystandortalkorswallow.Somemothershaveevenshownupwith the bodies of shriveled babies strapped to their backs.

Abdio Ali Elmoi clutches her son, Mustapha, whose eyes are dimming. Her face is grooved with grief.Shehasalreadylostthreechildrentogaajo,orhunger,acommonwordaroundhere.

Misery Follows as Somalis Try to Flee Hunger

by Jeffrey Gettleman

VOL. CLX . . . No. 55,468 © 2011 The New York Times SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

U(DF463D)X+$!}!.!=!#

MEGGAN HALLER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Gulf Coast is on the rebound, with families like NolanWhite’s back on the beach, and BP has taken notice. Page A8.

Coated With Sand, Not Oil

The economy is still sufferingfrom the worst financial crisissince the Depression, and wide-spread anger persists that finan-cial institutions that caused it re-ceived bailouts of billions of tax-

payer dollars andhaven’t been heldaccountable forany wrongdoing.Yet the House Ap-propriations Com-mittee has re-

sponded by starving the agencyresponsible for bringing financialwrongdoers to justice — whileputting over $200 million thatcould otherwise have been spenton investigations and enforce-ment actions back into the pock-ets of Wall Street.

A few weeks ago, the Republi-can-controlled appropriationscommittee cut the Securities andExchange Commission’s fiscal2012 budget request by $222.5million, to $1.19 billion (the sameas this year’s), even though theS.E.C.’s responsibilities werevastly expanded under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform andConsumer Protection Act.Charged with protecting invest-ors and policing markets, theS.E.C. is the nation’s front-line de-fense against financial fraud. Thecommittee’s accompanying re-port referred to the agency’s“troubled past” and “lack of abili-ty to manage funds,” and said thecommittee “remains concerned

As a WatchdogStarves, Wall St.Is Tossed a Bone

Continued on Page B7

JAMES B.STEWARTCOMMON

SENSE

BOSTON — Heads turned asthe lanky man made his way to

the courtroom pews re-served for those who suf-fer because of the crimi-nal Whitey Bulger. Theface of an altar boymasked his rage, and ashirt of powder-blue cov-

ered his tattoos, including oneevoking the Celtic cross thatadorns his father’s gravestone.

“Tommy’s here,” one of themany reporters whispered, andothers nodded, for it was like say-

ing that all of Boston had justwalked into Federal DistrictCourt to bear witness.

Tommy Donahue, a union elec-trician, 37 years old, with onegood eye and the nickname ofBagga — as in bag of bones — at-tends nearly every Bulger-relat-ed hearing as the representativeof the 19 people Mr. Bulger is ac-cused of killing, especially Mi-chael Donahue, his father. Hethen tells the news media assem-bled outside exactly what hethinks, his every word accentedwith Dorchester distrust.

“To be honest with you,” Mr.Donahue often begins, as if tosuggest that in this uncomfort-able summer of Bulger, honestyneeds to be stipulated.

Mr. Bulger’s 16-year flight fromreckoning ended last monthwhen he and his female compan-ion were captured in a SouthernCalifornia apartment where theinterior design included wallsstuffed with guns and cash.Among the many killings thatdog him, he is charged with com-mitting 10 while he was a paid in-

A Voice for Those Silenced in a Mobster’s Reign

Continued on Page A14

DANBARRY

THISLAND

By JOHN F. BURNS and JEREMY W. PETERS

LONDON — The crisis rattlingRupert Murdoch’s global mediaempire claimed the two highest-level executives yet on Friday af-ter days of mounting pressurefrom politicians and investors ontwo continents.

Les Hinton, the publisher ofThe Wall Street Journal since2007, who oversaw Mr. Murdoch’sBritish newspaper subsidiarywhen voice mail hacking by jour-nalists was rampant, and Rebek-ah Brooks, who has run the Brit-ish papers since 2009 and becomethe target of unrelenting publicoutrage, both resigned in the lat-est blow to the News Corporationand its besieged chairman.

At first incensed by the assaulton his company’s reputation, Mr.Murdoch insisted as late asThursday that the executives hadperformed “excellently” in deal-ing with the crisis since it erupt-ed two weeks ago. He was said tobe loath to lose either of them,and became convinced that theyhad to leave only over the lastseveral days, as executives andoutside advisers flew in to helpmanage the crisis from theirgleaming granite and glass of-fices in Wapping, East London.

In arriving at the final decision,Mr. Murdoch was joined by histwo sons, James and Lachlan,and Joel I. Klein, a senior NewsCorporation executive and for-mer New York City Schools chan-cellor.

The resignations came on aday when Mr. Murdoch made aseries of public mea culpas. Hewrote a letter to be published inall British newspapers over theweekend acknowledging that thecompany did not address itsproblems soon enough. “We aresorry,” it begins.

He also visited the family of amurdered 13-year-old girl, MillyDowler, whose voice mail washacked by reporters at The Newsof the World while she was stilllisted as missing. According tothe Dowler family’s lawyer, MarkLewis, Mr. Murdoch held hishead in his hands and apologizedfor the actions of his employees,who deleted phone messages af-ter the girl’s mailbox had beenfilled so they could collect morenew messages.

Mr. Lewis said that Mr. Mur-doch apologized “many times,”and that he was “very humbled,he was very shaken and he wasvery sincere.”

Whether these actions will doanything to quiet the backlashagainst the News Corporation is

2 TOP OFFICIALSLEAVE NEWS CORP.IN PRESS SCANDAL

APOLOGIES BY MURDOCH

Crisis Claims a BritishExecutive and a Key

U.S. Publisher

Continued on Page A5

  By JACKIE CALMES

and CARL HULSE

WASHINGTON — With talkson a big budget deal at a stale-mate, Congressional leadersturned Friday to negotiating afallback plan for raising the debtlimit as President Obama andHouse Republicans intensifiedtheir efforts to win over publicopinion for the long battle ahead.

Given the impasse, House Re-publicans scheduled a vote forTuesday on a measure that wouldcut deeply into the federal budg-et, cap government spending forthe years ahead and approve aconstitutional amendment re-quiring a balanced budget. TheDemocratic-controlled Senatemay vote Wednesday on a bal-anced budget amendment.

While neither measure will be-come law, given Democrats’ op-position, Republicans are eagerto show their conservative basethat they are not retreating, andthat they will press their case forvastly shrinking the governmentthrough the 2012 elections.

Mr. Obama signaled that hewould support the fallback plan,proposed by Senator Mitch Mc-Connell of Kentucky, the Repub-lican minority leader, whichwould allow for the debt limit tobe raised and defer the biggerbudget fight.

But the president used histhird news conference in twoweeks to call again for a “bigdeal” of up to $4 trillion in 10-yearsavings from spending cuts andtax increases on the wealthy andcorporations. And he claimed tohave public opinion — including a

FALLBACK MOVINGTO FORE AS TALKSON BUDGET STALL

OBAMA SIGNALS SUPPORT

Claiming Public’s on HisSide, President Still

Urges ‘Big Deal’

DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

President Obama held his third White House news conference in two weeks on Friday.

Continued on Page A12

TYLER HICKS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

A woman caring for her malnourished child in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, where Somalis have fled to escape drought.

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

DADAAB, Kenya — The peoplestart trudging in at dawn, morethan a thousand every day, ex-hausted, sick and starving, mate-rializing out of the thin desert airto take their places at the gates ofthe world’s largest refugee camp,here in northern Kenya.

They are fleeing one of theworst droughts in Somalia in 60years and many have walked forweeks through an anarchic land-scape replete with bandits andmilitants but little food.

By the time they get here,many can barely stand or talk orswallow. Some mothers haveeven shown up with the bodies ofshriveled babies strapped to theirbacks.

Abdio Ali Elmoi clutches herson, Mustapha, whose eyes aredimming. Her face is groovedwith grief. She has already lostthree children to gaajo, or hun-ger, a common word around here.

“I walked all day and all night,”she whispered, barely able tospeak. “Where I come from,there is no food.”

Somalia is once again spewingmisery across its borders, andonce again man-made dimen-sions are making this natural dis-aster more acute.

The Islamist militants control-ling southern Somalia forced outWestern aid organizations lastyear, yanking away the only safe-ty net just when the soil was dry-ing up and the drought was com-

Misery FollowsAs Somalis TryTo Flee Hunger

Continued on Page A3

By SEBNEM ARSU and STEVEN ERLANGER

ISTANBUL — The UnitedStates formally recognized therebel leadership in Libya as thecountry’s legitimate governmenton Friday, allowing the rebel gov-ernment access to $30 billion inLibyan assets held in the UnitedStates. It is not yet clear how andwhen the money would be re-leased.

Secretary of State Hillary Rod-ham Clinton said at an interna-tional gathering held to discussthe Libyan conflict that Col.Muammar el-Qaddafi’s govern-ment no longer had any legitima-cy, and that the United Stateswould join more than 30 coun-tries in extending diplomatic rec-

ognition to the main oppositiongroup, known as the TransitionalNational Council.

“We will help the T.N.C. sustainits commitment to the sovereign-ty, independence, territorial in-tegrity and national unity of Lib-ya,” Mrs. Clinton said, “and wewill look to it to remain steadfastin its commitment to humanrights and fundamental free-doms.”

The decision by Washingtonnot only increased diplomaticpressure on Colonel Qaddafi tostep down, but also held the pros-pect of funneling money to rebelsto propel an offensive that hasproceeded in fits and starts.

Although American officialsexpressed hope that the newlyrecognized Transitional NationalCouncil would use the money for

traditional public services — topay for health care and electricalpower, for example — one of thecouncil’s immediate priorities isarming and training its fightersso they can finally defeat theforces loyal to Colonel Qaddafi.

But even a major increase in fi-nancing for the rebel war effort isnot expected to yield immediateresults on the battlefield, accord-ing to senior officials involved inthe NATO-led air campaignagainst Colonel Qaddafi. Therebels are severely lacking intraining as well as equipment,and NATO has been frustrated bythe rebels’ inability to organizethemselves into a force strongenough to topple the govern-ment, even with thousands of air-

Libya Rebels Get FormalBacking, and $30 Billion

Continued on Page A6

With pork prices in major cities up 38percent this year, the Chinese govern-ment is tapping into its national pork re-serve, hoping to stabilize costs by flood-ing the market. PAGE A4

INTERNATIONAL A4-7

The Market Awaits

The case of Barry H. Landau, a well-connected author and collector of presi-dential memorabilia charged with steal-ing historical documents from the Mary-land Historical Society, has other his-torical societies checking their records.He is based in New York. PAGE A13

NATIONAL A8-14

A Historian in Hot WaterShadow Cities, a video game for theiPhone that uses its GPS service to con-nect with nearby players in real time,

lets them conquer me-tropolises worldwide.

A review by SethSchiesel. PAGE C1

ARTS C1-7

Worldwide Battle in Your Hand

An exhibition inthe Empire StateBuilding focuses onits construction. A

review by EdwardRothstein. PAGE C1

80th Floor’sNew View

A New Jersey man stole a dozen artworks, including two Picassos and aLéger, simply by pulling them from gal-lery and hotel walls during a four-weekspree, the authorities said. PAGE A17

NEW YORK A15-17

A No-Frills Art Thief

Most European banks passed examina-tions of their economic health, raisingconcern that the so-called stress testswere not hard enough. PAGE B1

BUSINESS DAY B1-8

Few Banks Fail Europe’s TestsMaggie Nelson’s book examines repre-sentations of violence in the media, liter-ature and theater. BOOK REVIEW

THIS WEEKEND

The Art of Cruelty

Only seven strokes separated the lead-ers from last place going into the thirdround at Royal St. George’s. PAGE B9

SPORTSSATURDAY B9-12

Uncertainty at British Open Joe Nocera PAGE A19

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A18-19

Retailers are caught without cribs to sellas manufacturers follow new federalstandards for safety tests. PAGE B1

New Rules for Safer Cribs The films of Miranda July. Plus: Gettingthe Tea Party freshmen in the House toplay well with others. MAGAZINE

The Uninhibited Director

C M Y K Yxxx,2011-07-16,A,001,Bs-BK,E2

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

“I walked all day and all night,” she whispered, barely able to speak. “Where I come from, there is no food.”

Somaliaisonceagainspewingmiseryacrossitsborders,andonceagainman-madedimensionsaremaking this natural disaster more acute.

TheIslamistmilitantscontrollingsouthernSomaliaforcedoutWesternaidorganizationslastyear,yankingawaytheonlysafetynetjustwhenthesoilwasdryingupandthedroughtwascoming.Onlynow,whenthescaleofthecatastropheisbecomingclear,withnearlythreemillionSomalisinurgentneedand Y A3THE NEW YORK TIMES, SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

ing. Only now, when the scale ofthe catastrophe is becomingclear, with nearly three millionSomalis in urgent need and morethan 10 million at risk across theparched Horn of Africa, have themilitants relented and invited aidgroups back. But few are rushingin because of the complicationsand dangers of dealing with abrutal group that is aligned withAl Qaeda and has turned Somaliainto a focal point of Americanconcerns on terrorism.

The Somalis are not waiting.Tens of thousands, possibly evenhundreds of thousands, are nowfleeing to Kenya and Ethiopia forhelp, but the Kenyan governmentsays it is overwhelmed and hasbeen blocking the United Nationsfrom opening a new $15 millioncamp here in Dadaab that couldhelp absorb the influx.

Everything is in place to house40,000 more refugees — new wa-ter towers, new latrines, new of-fice blocks and perfectly straightrows of new mud-brick housesthat look sturdy enough to live infor years. But that is preciselywhat the Kenyans fear.

As many as 380,000 people al-ready live in the amalgam ofcamps that make up Dadaab (itwas intended to hold 90,000), andthe Kenyans worry that Somaliswill continue flocking here andnever go home, given the peren-nial turmoil in their country sincethe central government collapsedin 1991.

“Personally, I’ve done what Icould,” said Gerald Otieno Kaj-wang’, Kenya’s immigration min-ister. “But the numbers comingin are too large that they threatenour security.”

The Kenyan government hasbeen facing intense pressure toopen the new camp, and severalWestern aid officials contendedthat the Kenyans were simplytrying to extract more moneyfrom Western allies before re-lenting. On Friday, Kenyan offi-cials indicated that the campwould open soon, but the delayhas stranded thousands of refu-gees on the outskirts of Dadaabin the desert, increasingly farfrom hospitals, clean water or la-trines, many with sick childrencurled up under trees.

“It’s shocking,” said AlexandraLopoukhine, a spokeswoman forCARE, an aid group working inDadaab.

Those who make it to one of thefew hospitals in the camps mighthave a chance. The pediatricward in the Dagahaley section isa fluorescent-lighted purgatory.Dozens of wizened children lie onrough wool blankets — nursessay probably fewer than half willmake it — their skin slack, theireyes glassy, their heads far toobig for their bodies. Many haveIVs taped to the sides of theirskulls.

“Vascular collapse,” explaineda Kenyan doctor. “We couldn’t

find a vein anywhere else.”Isak Abdi Saney, a destitute

farmer, is on a death watch. Hegently lifts up the shirt on his6-month-old son. Every ribshows, beneath skin as translu-cent as rice paper. Every breathlooks as if it could be his last.

“We don’t know if he is dead oralive, so we just keep watchinghim here,” Mr. Isak says, tappinghis son’s tiny chest.

Mr. Isak walked for 20 daysfrom Somalia to get here. Whathe encountered was what somany other refugees described:piles of dead animals, empty vil-lages, people dying of starvation,an unbroken trail of bodies fromhis village to the camp.

“There is nothing left backthere,” he said.

Another refugee spoke of his

village in similar terms: “Thereis nothing alive.”

Because it is so difficult anddangerous for outsiders to evenvisit areas controlled by the Sha-bab militant group, it is hard togauge the full depth of thisdrought. Somalia seems to beperpetually on the brink. With ashattered economy, no function-ing central government and aidflows blocked, countless Somalisstarve every year.

But according to a famine mon-itoring program financed by theUnited States, “over the pastyear, the eastern Horn of Africahas experienced consecutivepoor rainy seasons, resulting inone of the driest years since 1950-1951 in many pastoral zones.”

The years of conflict — and re-cent increases in food prices —

have depleted Somalia’s ability towithstand it. Thousands of peopleare leaving relatively uneventfulrural areas to seek refuge even inMogadishu, Somalia’s bullet-rid-dled capital, which has experi-enced a mass exodus for yearsbecause of fighting between theshaky government and Islamistmilitants.

The route to Dadaab, whichlies about 50 miles inside Kenya’sborder, is especially perilous,winding through one of the mostunforgiving environments in theworld. Refugees have been ma-rauded, raped and killed by thevarious armed groups that hauntthe land. Most arrive here penni-less and demoralized. Many par-ents said they buried childrenalong the way.

Some die just within reach of fi-nally getting help. Right in frontof a reception area at the campare dozens of freshly dug graves.

Once proud young men findthemselves sitting in the dirt,waiting to be registered. Life as arefugee is humiliating, especiallyin a culture that prizes independ-ence. The first step is clawingthrough a crowd to get a cup offlour and some glucose biscuits.Then comes registration, gettingfingerprinted twice, photo-graphed, logged in, cataloged.Kenyan government workersscurry around, wearing blue sur-gical masks and polo shirts thatsay “Refugees Are Real People.”

Somali refugees are typicallynot allowed to work in Kenya,and without special permissionthey are not supposed to leavethe camp. Dadaab is a place towarehouse people, often foryears. Aid workers predict thenumbers here could soon swell tohalf a million, sprawled acrossmiles of scrub brush.

“I never thought I’d lose all mycattle,” said Abdi Farah Hassan,who looked visibly uncomfort-able in line to be photographed.“I never thought I’d be a refu-gee.”

Clockwise from top: at the Dadaab refugee camp inKenya, a 4-year-old Somali girl who fell ill and diedwas buried; a malnourished child; people waitingfor rations during food distribution.

Misery Follows as Somalis Try to Flee HungerFrom Page A1

ETHIOPIA

YEMEN

DJIBOUTIGulf of Aden

Indian Ocean

SUDAN

UGANDA

SOMALIA

Mogadishu

Nairobi

Addis Ababa

Source: United Nations

Dadaabrefugee camp

KENYA

reaeaaa ooof f f bebeb low-ArAAatoormrmmal pprecipitational p ataattnono

TANZANIA300 MILES

THE NEW YORK TIMES

As drought grips Somalia, refugees are filling Dadaab.

One of the Somalis who are swelling the refugee camp in Dadaab, the world’s largest.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TYLER HICKS /THE NEW YORK TIMES

Reuben Kyama contributed re-porting from Nairobi, Kenya, andMohamed Ibrahim from Mogadi-shu, Somalia.

Yxxx,2011-07-16,A,003,Bs-BW,E1

morethan10millionatriskacrosstheparchedHornofAfrica,havethemilitantsrelentedandinvitedaid groups back. But few are rushing in because of the complications and dangers of dealing with a bru-talgroupthatisalignedwithAlQaedaandhasturnedSomaliaintoafocalpointofAmericanconcerns on terrorism.

TheSomalisarenotwaiting.Tensofthousands,possiblyevenhundredsofthousands,arenowflee-ing to Kenya and Ethiopia for help, but the Kenyan government says it is overwhelmed and has been blocking the United Nations from opening a new $15 million camp here in Dadaab that could help absorb

theinflux.

Everythingisinplacetohouse40,000morerefugees — new water towers, new latrines, new officeblocksandperfectlystraightrowsofnewmud-brick houses that look sturdy enough tolive in for years. But that is precisely what the Kenyans fear.

Asmanyas380,000peoplealreadyliveinthe amalgam of camps that make up Dadaab (it wasintendedtohold90,000),andtheKenyansworry thatSomaliswillcontinueflockinghereand never go home, given the perennial turmoil in their country since the central government collapsed in 1991.

“Personally, I’ve done what I could,” said GeraldOtienoKajwang’,Kenya’s immigrationminister. “But the numbers coming in are too large that they threaten our security.”

The Kenyan government has been facing in-tensepressuretoopenthenewcamp,andseveralWesternaidofficialscontendedthattheKenyansweresimplytryingtoextractmoremoneyfromWesternalliesbeforerelenting.OnFriday,Kenyanofficialsin-dicated that the camp would open soon, but the delay has stranded thousands of refugees on the outskirts of Dadaab in the desert, increasingly far from hospitals, clean water or latrines, many with sick children curled up under trees.

“It’s shocking,” said Alexandra Lopoukhine, a spokeswoman for CARE, an aid group working in Dadaab.

Those who make it to one of the few hospitals in the camps might have a chance. The pediatric ward in theDagahaleysection isafluorescent-lightedpurgatory.Dozensofwizenedchildren lieon roughwool blankets — nurses say probably fewer than half will make it — their skin slack, their eyes glassy, their heads far too big for their bodies. Many have IVs taped to the sides of their skulls.

“Vascularcollapse,”explainedaKenyandoctor.“Wecouldn’tfindaveinanywhereelse.”

Y A3THE NEW YORK TIMES, SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

ing. Only now, when the scale ofthe catastrophe is becomingclear, with nearly three millionSomalis in urgent need and morethan 10 million at risk across theparched Horn of Africa, have themilitants relented and invited aidgroups back. But few are rushingin because of the complicationsand dangers of dealing with abrutal group that is aligned withAl Qaeda and has turned Somaliainto a focal point of Americanconcerns on terrorism.

The Somalis are not waiting.Tens of thousands, possibly evenhundreds of thousands, are nowfleeing to Kenya and Ethiopia forhelp, but the Kenyan governmentsays it is overwhelmed and hasbeen blocking the United Nationsfrom opening a new $15 millioncamp here in Dadaab that couldhelp absorb the influx.

Everything is in place to house40,000 more refugees — new wa-ter towers, new latrines, new of-fice blocks and perfectly straightrows of new mud-brick housesthat look sturdy enough to live infor years. But that is preciselywhat the Kenyans fear.

As many as 380,000 people al-ready live in the amalgam ofcamps that make up Dadaab (itwas intended to hold 90,000), andthe Kenyans worry that Somaliswill continue flocking here andnever go home, given the peren-nial turmoil in their country sincethe central government collapsedin 1991.

“Personally, I’ve done what Icould,” said Gerald Otieno Kaj-wang’, Kenya’s immigration min-ister. “But the numbers comingin are too large that they threatenour security.”

The Kenyan government hasbeen facing intense pressure toopen the new camp, and severalWestern aid officials contendedthat the Kenyans were simplytrying to extract more moneyfrom Western allies before re-lenting. On Friday, Kenyan offi-cials indicated that the campwould open soon, but the delayhas stranded thousands of refu-gees on the outskirts of Dadaabin the desert, increasingly farfrom hospitals, clean water or la-trines, many with sick childrencurled up under trees.

“It’s shocking,” said AlexandraLopoukhine, a spokeswoman forCARE, an aid group working inDadaab.

Those who make it to one of thefew hospitals in the camps mighthave a chance. The pediatricward in the Dagahaley section isa fluorescent-lighted purgatory.Dozens of wizened children lie onrough wool blankets — nursessay probably fewer than half willmake it — their skin slack, theireyes glassy, their heads far toobig for their bodies. Many haveIVs taped to the sides of theirskulls.

“Vascular collapse,” explaineda Kenyan doctor. “We couldn’t

find a vein anywhere else.”Isak Abdi Saney, a destitute

farmer, is on a death watch. Hegently lifts up the shirt on his6-month-old son. Every ribshows, beneath skin as translu-cent as rice paper. Every breathlooks as if it could be his last.

“We don’t know if he is dead oralive, so we just keep watchinghim here,” Mr. Isak says, tappinghis son’s tiny chest.

Mr. Isak walked for 20 daysfrom Somalia to get here. Whathe encountered was what somany other refugees described:piles of dead animals, empty vil-lages, people dying of starvation,an unbroken trail of bodies fromhis village to the camp.

“There is nothing left backthere,” he said.

Another refugee spoke of his

village in similar terms: “Thereis nothing alive.”

Because it is so difficult anddangerous for outsiders to evenvisit areas controlled by the Sha-bab militant group, it is hard togauge the full depth of thisdrought. Somalia seems to beperpetually on the brink. With ashattered economy, no function-ing central government and aidflows blocked, countless Somalisstarve every year.

But according to a famine mon-itoring program financed by theUnited States, “over the pastyear, the eastern Horn of Africahas experienced consecutivepoor rainy seasons, resulting inone of the driest years since 1950-1951 in many pastoral zones.”

The years of conflict — and re-cent increases in food prices —

have depleted Somalia’s ability towithstand it. Thousands of peopleare leaving relatively uneventfulrural areas to seek refuge even inMogadishu, Somalia’s bullet-rid-dled capital, which has experi-enced a mass exodus for yearsbecause of fighting between theshaky government and Islamistmilitants.

The route to Dadaab, whichlies about 50 miles inside Kenya’sborder, is especially perilous,winding through one of the mostunforgiving environments in theworld. Refugees have been ma-rauded, raped and killed by thevarious armed groups that hauntthe land. Most arrive here penni-less and demoralized. Many par-ents said they buried childrenalong the way.

Some die just within reach of fi-nally getting help. Right in frontof a reception area at the campare dozens of freshly dug graves.

Once proud young men findthemselves sitting in the dirt,waiting to be registered. Life as arefugee is humiliating, especiallyin a culture that prizes independ-ence. The first step is clawingthrough a crowd to get a cup offlour and some glucose biscuits.Then comes registration, gettingfingerprinted twice, photo-graphed, logged in, cataloged.Kenyan government workersscurry around, wearing blue sur-gical masks and polo shirts thatsay “Refugees Are Real People.”

Somali refugees are typicallynot allowed to work in Kenya,and without special permissionthey are not supposed to leavethe camp. Dadaab is a place towarehouse people, often foryears. Aid workers predict thenumbers here could soon swell tohalf a million, sprawled acrossmiles of scrub brush.

“I never thought I’d lose all mycattle,” said Abdi Farah Hassan,who looked visibly uncomfort-able in line to be photographed.“I never thought I’d be a refu-gee.”

Clockwise from top: at the Dadaab refugee camp inKenya, a 4-year-old Somali girl who fell ill and diedwas buried; a malnourished child; people waitingfor rations during food distribution.

Misery Follows as Somalis Try to Flee HungerFrom Page A1

ETHIOPIA

YEMEN

DJIBOUTIGulf of Aden

Indian Ocean

SUDAN

UGANDA

SOMALIA

Mogadishu

Nairobi

Addis Ababa

Source: United Nations

Dadaabrefugee camp

KENYA

reaeaaa ooof f f bebeb low-ArAAatoormrmmal pprecipitational p ataattnono

TANZANIA300 MILES

THE NEW YORK TIMES

As drought grips Somalia, refugees are filling Dadaab.

One of the Somalis who are swelling the refugee camp in Dadaab, the world’s largest.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TYLER HICKS /THE NEW YORK TIMES

Reuben Kyama contributed re-porting from Nairobi, Kenya, andMohamed Ibrahim from Mogadi-shu, Somalia.

Yxxx,2011-07-16,A,003,Bs-BW,E1

IsakAbdiSaney,adestitutefarmer,isonadeathwatch.Hegentlyliftsuptheshirtonhis6-month-oldson.Every rib shows, beneath skin as translucent as rice paper. Every breath looks as if it could be his last.

“Wedon’tknowifheisdeadoralive,sowejustkeepwatchinghimhere,”Mr.Isaksays,tappinghisson’s tiny chest.

Mr.Isakwalkedfor20daysfromSomaliatogethere.Whatheencounteredwaswhatsomanyotherrefugees described: piles of dead animals, empty villages, people dying of starvation, an unbroken trail of bodies from his village to the camp.

“There is nothing left back there,” he said.

Another refugee spoke of his village in similar terms: “There is nothing alive.”

BecauseitissodifficultanddangerousforoutsiderstoevenvisitareascontrolledbytheShababmilitantgroup,itishardtogaugethefulldepthofthisdrought.Somaliaseemstobeperpetuallyonthebrink.Withashatteredeconomy,nofunctioningcentralgovernmentandaidflowsblocked,countlessSomalisstarveeveryyear.

Y A3THE NEW YORK TIMES, SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

ing. Only now, when the scale ofthe catastrophe is becomingclear, with nearly three millionSomalis in urgent need and morethan 10 million at risk across theparched Horn of Africa, have themilitants relented and invited aidgroups back. But few are rushingin because of the complicationsand dangers of dealing with abrutal group that is aligned withAl Qaeda and has turned Somaliainto a focal point of Americanconcerns on terrorism.

The Somalis are not waiting.Tens of thousands, possibly evenhundreds of thousands, are nowfleeing to Kenya and Ethiopia forhelp, but the Kenyan governmentsays it is overwhelmed and hasbeen blocking the United Nationsfrom opening a new $15 millioncamp here in Dadaab that couldhelp absorb the influx.

Everything is in place to house40,000 more refugees — new wa-ter towers, new latrines, new of-fice blocks and perfectly straightrows of new mud-brick housesthat look sturdy enough to live infor years. But that is preciselywhat the Kenyans fear.

As many as 380,000 people al-ready live in the amalgam ofcamps that make up Dadaab (itwas intended to hold 90,000), andthe Kenyans worry that Somaliswill continue flocking here andnever go home, given the peren-nial turmoil in their country sincethe central government collapsedin 1991.

“Personally, I’ve done what Icould,” said Gerald Otieno Kaj-wang’, Kenya’s immigration min-ister. “But the numbers comingin are too large that they threatenour security.”

The Kenyan government hasbeen facing intense pressure toopen the new camp, and severalWestern aid officials contendedthat the Kenyans were simplytrying to extract more moneyfrom Western allies before re-lenting. On Friday, Kenyan offi-cials indicated that the campwould open soon, but the delayhas stranded thousands of refu-gees on the outskirts of Dadaabin the desert, increasingly farfrom hospitals, clean water or la-trines, many with sick childrencurled up under trees.

“It’s shocking,” said AlexandraLopoukhine, a spokeswoman forCARE, an aid group working inDadaab.

Those who make it to one of thefew hospitals in the camps mighthave a chance. The pediatricward in the Dagahaley section isa fluorescent-lighted purgatory.Dozens of wizened children lie onrough wool blankets — nursessay probably fewer than half willmake it — their skin slack, theireyes glassy, their heads far toobig for their bodies. Many haveIVs taped to the sides of theirskulls.

“Vascular collapse,” explaineda Kenyan doctor. “We couldn’t

find a vein anywhere else.”Isak Abdi Saney, a destitute

farmer, is on a death watch. Hegently lifts up the shirt on his6-month-old son. Every ribshows, beneath skin as translu-cent as rice paper. Every breathlooks as if it could be his last.

“We don’t know if he is dead oralive, so we just keep watchinghim here,” Mr. Isak says, tappinghis son’s tiny chest.

Mr. Isak walked for 20 daysfrom Somalia to get here. Whathe encountered was what somany other refugees described:piles of dead animals, empty vil-lages, people dying of starvation,an unbroken trail of bodies fromhis village to the camp.

“There is nothing left backthere,” he said.

Another refugee spoke of his

village in similar terms: “Thereis nothing alive.”

Because it is so difficult anddangerous for outsiders to evenvisit areas controlled by the Sha-bab militant group, it is hard togauge the full depth of thisdrought. Somalia seems to beperpetually on the brink. With ashattered economy, no function-ing central government and aidflows blocked, countless Somalisstarve every year.

But according to a famine mon-itoring program financed by theUnited States, “over the pastyear, the eastern Horn of Africahas experienced consecutivepoor rainy seasons, resulting inone of the driest years since 1950-1951 in many pastoral zones.”

The years of conflict — and re-cent increases in food prices —

have depleted Somalia’s ability towithstand it. Thousands of peopleare leaving relatively uneventfulrural areas to seek refuge even inMogadishu, Somalia’s bullet-rid-dled capital, which has experi-enced a mass exodus for yearsbecause of fighting between theshaky government and Islamistmilitants.

The route to Dadaab, whichlies about 50 miles inside Kenya’sborder, is especially perilous,winding through one of the mostunforgiving environments in theworld. Refugees have been ma-rauded, raped and killed by thevarious armed groups that hauntthe land. Most arrive here penni-less and demoralized. Many par-ents said they buried childrenalong the way.

Some die just within reach of fi-nally getting help. Right in frontof a reception area at the campare dozens of freshly dug graves.

Once proud young men findthemselves sitting in the dirt,waiting to be registered. Life as arefugee is humiliating, especiallyin a culture that prizes independ-ence. The first step is clawingthrough a crowd to get a cup offlour and some glucose biscuits.Then comes registration, gettingfingerprinted twice, photo-graphed, logged in, cataloged.Kenyan government workersscurry around, wearing blue sur-gical masks and polo shirts thatsay “Refugees Are Real People.”

Somali refugees are typicallynot allowed to work in Kenya,and without special permissionthey are not supposed to leavethe camp. Dadaab is a place towarehouse people, often foryears. Aid workers predict thenumbers here could soon swell tohalf a million, sprawled acrossmiles of scrub brush.

“I never thought I’d lose all mycattle,” said Abdi Farah Hassan,who looked visibly uncomfort-able in line to be photographed.“I never thought I’d be a refu-gee.”

Clockwise from top: at the Dadaab refugee camp inKenya, a 4-year-old Somali girl who fell ill and diedwas buried; a malnourished child; people waitingfor rations during food distribution.

Misery Follows as Somalis Try to Flee HungerFrom Page A1

ETHIOPIA

YEMEN

DJIBOUTIGulf of Aden

Indian Ocean

SUDAN

UGANDA

SOMALIA

Mogadishu

Nairobi

Addis Ababa

Source: United Nations

Dadaabrefugee camp

KENYA

reaeaaa ooof f f bebeb low-ArAAatoormrmmal pprecipitational p ataattnono

TANZANIA300 MILES

THE NEW YORK TIMES

As drought grips Somalia, refugees are filling Dadaab.

One of the Somalis who are swelling the refugee camp in Dadaab, the world’s largest.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TYLER HICKS /THE NEW YORK TIMES

Reuben Kyama contributed re-porting from Nairobi, Kenya, andMohamed Ibrahim from Mogadi-shu, Somalia.

Yxxx,2011-07-16,A,003,Bs-BW,E1

ButaccordingtoafaminemonitoringprogramfinancedbytheUnitedStates,“overthepastyear,the eastern Horn of Africa has experienced consecutive poor rainy seasons, resulting in one of the driest yearssince1950-1951inmanypastoralzones.”

Theyearsofconflict—andrecentincreasesinfoodprices—havedepletedSomalia’sabilitytowithstand it. Thousands of people are leaving relatively uneventful rural areas to seek refuge even in Mogadishu,Somalia’sbullet-riddledcapital,whichhasexperiencedamassexodusforyearsbecauseoffightingbetweentheshakygovernmentandIslamistmilitants.

TheroutetoDadaab,whichliesabout50milesinsideKenya’sborder,isespeciallyperilous,windingthrough one of the most unforgiving environments in the world. Refugees have been marauded, raped and killed by the various armed groups that haunt the land. Most arrive here penniless and demoralized. Many parents said they buried children along the way.

Somediejustwithinreachoffinallygettinghelp.Rightinfrontofareceptionareaatthecamparedozens of freshly dug graves.

Onceproudyoungmenfindthemselvessittinginthedirt,waitingtoberegistered.Lifeasarefugeeishumiliating,especiallyinaculturethatprizesindependence.Thefirststepisclawingthroughacrowdtogetacupofflourandsomeglucosebiscuits.Thencomesregistration,gettingfingerprinted twice,photographed, logged in, cataloged. Kenyan government workers scurry around, wearing blue surgical masks and polo shirts that say “Refugees Are Real People.”

SomalirefugeesaretypicallynotallowedtoworkinKenya,andwithoutspecialpermissiontheyare not supposed to leave the camp. Dadaab is a place to warehouse people, often for years. Aid workers predict the numbers here could soon swell to half a million, sprawled across miles of scrub brush.

“IneverthoughtI’dloseallmycattle,”saidAbdiFarahHassan,wholookedvisiblyuncomfortablein line to be photographed. “I never thought I’d be a refugee.”

Reuben Kyama contributed reporting from Nairobi, Kenya, and Mohamed Ibrahim from Mogadishu, Somalia.

VOL. CLX . . . No. 55,468 © 2011 The New York Times SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

U(DF463D)X+$!}!.!=!#

MEGGAN HALLER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Gulf Coast is on the rebound, with families like NolanWhite’s back on the beach, and BP has taken notice. Page A8.

Coated With Sand, Not Oil

The economy is still sufferingfrom the worst financial crisissince the Depression, and wide-spread anger persists that finan-cial institutions that caused it re-ceived bailouts of billions of tax-

payer dollars andhaven’t been heldaccountable forany wrongdoing.Yet the House Ap-propriations Com-mittee has re-

sponded by starving the agencyresponsible for bringing financialwrongdoers to justice — whileputting over $200 million thatcould otherwise have been spenton investigations and enforce-ment actions back into the pock-ets of Wall Street.

A few weeks ago, the Republi-can-controlled appropriationscommittee cut the Securities andExchange Commission’s fiscal2012 budget request by $222.5million, to $1.19 billion (the sameas this year’s), even though theS.E.C.’s responsibilities werevastly expanded under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform andConsumer Protection Act.Charged with protecting invest-ors and policing markets, theS.E.C. is the nation’s front-line de-fense against financial fraud. Thecommittee’s accompanying re-port referred to the agency’s“troubled past” and “lack of abili-ty to manage funds,” and said thecommittee “remains concerned

As a WatchdogStarves, Wall St.Is Tossed a Bone

Continued on Page B7

JAMES B.STEWARTCOMMON

SENSE

BOSTON — Heads turned asthe lanky man made his way to

the courtroom pews re-served for those who suf-fer because of the crimi-nal Whitey Bulger. Theface of an altar boymasked his rage, and ashirt of powder-blue cov-

ered his tattoos, including oneevoking the Celtic cross thatadorns his father’s gravestone.

“Tommy’s here,” one of themany reporters whispered, andothers nodded, for it was like say-

ing that all of Boston had justwalked into Federal DistrictCourt to bear witness.

Tommy Donahue, a union elec-trician, 37 years old, with onegood eye and the nickname ofBagga — as in bag of bones — at-tends nearly every Bulger-relat-ed hearing as the representativeof the 19 people Mr. Bulger is ac-cused of killing, especially Mi-chael Donahue, his father. Hethen tells the news media assem-bled outside exactly what hethinks, his every word accentedwith Dorchester distrust.

“To be honest with you,” Mr.Donahue often begins, as if tosuggest that in this uncomfort-able summer of Bulger, honestyneeds to be stipulated.

Mr. Bulger’s 16-year flight fromreckoning ended last monthwhen he and his female compan-ion were captured in a SouthernCalifornia apartment where theinterior design included wallsstuffed with guns and cash.Among the many killings thatdog him, he is charged with com-mitting 10 while he was a paid in-

A Voice for Those Silenced in a Mobster’s Reign

Continued on Page A14

DANBARRY

THISLAND

By JOHN F. BURNS and JEREMY W. PETERS

LONDON — The crisis rattlingRupert Murdoch’s global mediaempire claimed the two highest-level executives yet on Friday af-ter days of mounting pressurefrom politicians and investors ontwo continents.

Les Hinton, the publisher ofThe Wall Street Journal since2007, who oversaw Mr. Murdoch’sBritish newspaper subsidiarywhen voice mail hacking by jour-nalists was rampant, and Rebek-ah Brooks, who has run the Brit-ish papers since 2009 and becomethe target of unrelenting publicoutrage, both resigned in the lat-est blow to the News Corporationand its besieged chairman.

At first incensed by the assaulton his company’s reputation, Mr.Murdoch insisted as late asThursday that the executives hadperformed “excellently” in deal-ing with the crisis since it erupt-ed two weeks ago. He was said tobe loath to lose either of them,and became convinced that theyhad to leave only over the lastseveral days, as executives andoutside advisers flew in to helpmanage the crisis from theirgleaming granite and glass of-fices in Wapping, East London.

In arriving at the final decision,Mr. Murdoch was joined by histwo sons, James and Lachlan,and Joel I. Klein, a senior NewsCorporation executive and for-mer New York City Schools chan-cellor.

The resignations came on aday when Mr. Murdoch made aseries of public mea culpas. Hewrote a letter to be published inall British newspapers over theweekend acknowledging that thecompany did not address itsproblems soon enough. “We aresorry,” it begins.

He also visited the family of amurdered 13-year-old girl, MillyDowler, whose voice mail washacked by reporters at The Newsof the World while she was stilllisted as missing. According tothe Dowler family’s lawyer, MarkLewis, Mr. Murdoch held hishead in his hands and apologizedfor the actions of his employees,who deleted phone messages af-ter the girl’s mailbox had beenfilled so they could collect morenew messages.

Mr. Lewis said that Mr. Mur-doch apologized “many times,”and that he was “very humbled,he was very shaken and he wasvery sincere.”

Whether these actions will doanything to quiet the backlashagainst the News Corporation is

2 TOP OFFICIALSLEAVE NEWS CORP.IN PRESS SCANDAL

APOLOGIES BY MURDOCH

Crisis Claims a BritishExecutive and a Key

U.S. Publisher

Continued on Page A5

  By JACKIE CALMES

and CARL HULSE

WASHINGTON — With talkson a big budget deal at a stale-mate, Congressional leadersturned Friday to negotiating afallback plan for raising the debtlimit as President Obama andHouse Republicans intensifiedtheir efforts to win over publicopinion for the long battle ahead.

Given the impasse, House Re-publicans scheduled a vote forTuesday on a measure that wouldcut deeply into the federal budg-et, cap government spending forthe years ahead and approve aconstitutional amendment re-quiring a balanced budget. TheDemocratic-controlled Senatemay vote Wednesday on a bal-anced budget amendment.

While neither measure will be-come law, given Democrats’ op-position, Republicans are eagerto show their conservative basethat they are not retreating, andthat they will press their case forvastly shrinking the governmentthrough the 2012 elections.

Mr. Obama signaled that hewould support the fallback plan,proposed by Senator Mitch Mc-Connell of Kentucky, the Repub-lican minority leader, whichwould allow for the debt limit tobe raised and defer the biggerbudget fight.

But the president used histhird news conference in twoweeks to call again for a “bigdeal” of up to $4 trillion in 10-yearsavings from spending cuts andtax increases on the wealthy andcorporations. And he claimed tohave public opinion — including a

FALLBACK MOVINGTO FORE AS TALKSON BUDGET STALL

OBAMA SIGNALS SUPPORT

Claiming Public’s on HisSide, President Still

Urges ‘Big Deal’

DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

President Obama held his third White House news conference in two weeks on Friday.

Continued on Page A12

TYLER HICKS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

A woman caring for her malnourished child in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, where Somalis have fled to escape drought.

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

DADAAB, Kenya — The peoplestart trudging in at dawn, morethan a thousand every day, ex-hausted, sick and starving, mate-rializing out of the thin desert airto take their places at the gates ofthe world’s largest refugee camp,here in northern Kenya.

They are fleeing one of theworst droughts in Somalia in 60years and many have walked forweeks through an anarchic land-scape replete with bandits andmilitants but little food.

By the time they get here,many can barely stand or talk orswallow. Some mothers haveeven shown up with the bodies ofshriveled babies strapped to theirbacks.

Abdio Ali Elmoi clutches herson, Mustapha, whose eyes aredimming. Her face is groovedwith grief. She has already lostthree children to gaajo, or hun-ger, a common word around here.

“I walked all day and all night,”she whispered, barely able tospeak. “Where I come from,there is no food.”

Somalia is once again spewingmisery across its borders, andonce again man-made dimen-sions are making this natural dis-aster more acute.

The Islamist militants control-ling southern Somalia forced outWestern aid organizations lastyear, yanking away the only safe-ty net just when the soil was dry-ing up and the drought was com-

Misery FollowsAs Somalis TryTo Flee Hunger

Continued on Page A3

By SEBNEM ARSU and STEVEN ERLANGER

ISTANBUL — The UnitedStates formally recognized therebel leadership in Libya as thecountry’s legitimate governmenton Friday, allowing the rebel gov-ernment access to $30 billion inLibyan assets held in the UnitedStates. It is not yet clear how andwhen the money would be re-leased.

Secretary of State Hillary Rod-ham Clinton said at an interna-tional gathering held to discussthe Libyan conflict that Col.Muammar el-Qaddafi’s govern-ment no longer had any legitima-cy, and that the United Stateswould join more than 30 coun-tries in extending diplomatic rec-

ognition to the main oppositiongroup, known as the TransitionalNational Council.

“We will help the T.N.C. sustainits commitment to the sovereign-ty, independence, territorial in-tegrity and national unity of Lib-ya,” Mrs. Clinton said, “and wewill look to it to remain steadfastin its commitment to humanrights and fundamental free-doms.”

The decision by Washingtonnot only increased diplomaticpressure on Colonel Qaddafi tostep down, but also held the pros-pect of funneling money to rebelsto propel an offensive that hasproceeded in fits and starts.

Although American officialsexpressed hope that the newlyrecognized Transitional NationalCouncil would use the money for

traditional public services — topay for health care and electricalpower, for example — one of thecouncil’s immediate priorities isarming and training its fightersso they can finally defeat theforces loyal to Colonel Qaddafi.

But even a major increase in fi-nancing for the rebel war effort isnot expected to yield immediateresults on the battlefield, accord-ing to senior officials involved inthe NATO-led air campaignagainst Colonel Qaddafi. Therebels are severely lacking intraining as well as equipment,and NATO has been frustrated bythe rebels’ inability to organizethemselves into a force strongenough to topple the govern-ment, even with thousands of air-

Libya Rebels Get FormalBacking, and $30 Billion

Continued on Page A6

With pork prices in major cities up 38percent this year, the Chinese govern-ment is tapping into its national pork re-serve, hoping to stabilize costs by flood-ing the market. PAGE A4

INTERNATIONAL A4-7

The Market Awaits

The case of Barry H. Landau, a well-connected author and collector of presi-dential memorabilia charged with steal-ing historical documents from the Mary-land Historical Society, has other his-torical societies checking their records.He is based in New York. PAGE A13

NATIONAL A8-14

A Historian in Hot WaterShadow Cities, a video game for theiPhone that uses its GPS service to con-nect with nearby players in real time,

lets them conquer me-tropolises worldwide.

A review by SethSchiesel. PAGE C1

ARTS C1-7

Worldwide Battle in Your Hand

An exhibition inthe Empire StateBuilding focuses onits construction. A

review by EdwardRothstein. PAGE C1

80th Floor’sNew View

A New Jersey man stole a dozen artworks, including two Picassos and aLéger, simply by pulling them from gal-lery and hotel walls during a four-weekspree, the authorities said. PAGE A17

NEW YORK A15-17

A No-Frills Art Thief

Most European banks passed examina-tions of their economic health, raisingconcern that the so-called stress testswere not hard enough. PAGE B1

BUSINESS DAY B1-8

Few Banks Fail Europe’s TestsMaggie Nelson’s book examines repre-sentations of violence in the media, liter-ature and theater. BOOK REVIEW

THIS WEEKEND

The Art of Cruelty

Only seven strokes separated the lead-ers from last place going into the thirdround at Royal St. George’s. PAGE B9

SPORTSSATURDAY B9-12

Uncertainty at British Open Joe Nocera PAGE A19

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A18-19

Retailers are caught without cribs to sellas manufacturers follow new federalstandards for safety tests. PAGE B1

New Rules for Safer Cribs The films of Miranda July. Plus: Gettingthe Tea Party freshmen in the House toplay well with others. MAGAZINE

The Uninhibited Director

C M Y K Yxxx,2011-07-16,A,001,Bs-BK,E2

Y A3THE NEW YORK TIMES, SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

ing. Only now, when the scale ofthe catastrophe is becomingclear, with nearly three millionSomalis in urgent need and morethan 10 million at risk across theparched Horn of Africa, have themilitants relented and invited aidgroups back. But few are rushingin because of the complicationsand dangers of dealing with abrutal group that is aligned withAl Qaeda and has turned Somaliainto a focal point of Americanconcerns on terrorism.

The Somalis are not waiting.Tens of thousands, possibly evenhundreds of thousands, are nowfleeing to Kenya and Ethiopia forhelp, but the Kenyan governmentsays it is overwhelmed and hasbeen blocking the United Nationsfrom opening a new $15 millioncamp here in Dadaab that couldhelp absorb the influx.

Everything is in place to house40,000 more refugees — new wa-ter towers, new latrines, new of-fice blocks and perfectly straightrows of new mud-brick housesthat look sturdy enough to live infor years. But that is preciselywhat the Kenyans fear.

As many as 380,000 people al-ready live in the amalgam ofcamps that make up Dadaab (itwas intended to hold 90,000), andthe Kenyans worry that Somaliswill continue flocking here andnever go home, given the peren-nial turmoil in their country sincethe central government collapsedin 1991.

“Personally, I’ve done what Icould,” said Gerald Otieno Kaj-wang’, Kenya’s immigration min-ister. “But the numbers comingin are too large that they threatenour security.”

The Kenyan government hasbeen facing intense pressure toopen the new camp, and severalWestern aid officials contendedthat the Kenyans were simplytrying to extract more moneyfrom Western allies before re-lenting. On Friday, Kenyan offi-cials indicated that the campwould open soon, but the delayhas stranded thousands of refu-gees on the outskirts of Dadaabin the desert, increasingly farfrom hospitals, clean water or la-trines, many with sick childrencurled up under trees.

“It’s shocking,” said AlexandraLopoukhine, a spokeswoman forCARE, an aid group working inDadaab.

Those who make it to one of thefew hospitals in the camps mighthave a chance. The pediatricward in the Dagahaley section isa fluorescent-lighted purgatory.Dozens of wizened children lie onrough wool blankets — nursessay probably fewer than half willmake it — their skin slack, theireyes glassy, their heads far toobig for their bodies. Many haveIVs taped to the sides of theirskulls.

“Vascular collapse,” explaineda Kenyan doctor. “We couldn’t

find a vein anywhere else.”Isak Abdi Saney, a destitute

farmer, is on a death watch. Hegently lifts up the shirt on his6-month-old son. Every ribshows, beneath skin as translu-cent as rice paper. Every breathlooks as if it could be his last.

“We don’t know if he is dead oralive, so we just keep watchinghim here,” Mr. Isak says, tappinghis son’s tiny chest.

Mr. Isak walked for 20 daysfrom Somalia to get here. Whathe encountered was what somany other refugees described:piles of dead animals, empty vil-lages, people dying of starvation,an unbroken trail of bodies fromhis village to the camp.

“There is nothing left backthere,” he said.

Another refugee spoke of his

village in similar terms: “Thereis nothing alive.”

Because it is so difficult anddangerous for outsiders to evenvisit areas controlled by the Sha-bab militant group, it is hard togauge the full depth of thisdrought. Somalia seems to beperpetually on the brink. With ashattered economy, no function-ing central government and aidflows blocked, countless Somalisstarve every year.

But according to a famine mon-itoring program financed by theUnited States, “over the pastyear, the eastern Horn of Africahas experienced consecutivepoor rainy seasons, resulting inone of the driest years since 1950-1951 in many pastoral zones.”

The years of conflict — and re-cent increases in food prices —

have depleted Somalia’s ability towithstand it. Thousands of peopleare leaving relatively uneventfulrural areas to seek refuge even inMogadishu, Somalia’s bullet-rid-dled capital, which has experi-enced a mass exodus for yearsbecause of fighting between theshaky government and Islamistmilitants.

The route to Dadaab, whichlies about 50 miles inside Kenya’sborder, is especially perilous,winding through one of the mostunforgiving environments in theworld. Refugees have been ma-rauded, raped and killed by thevarious armed groups that hauntthe land. Most arrive here penni-less and demoralized. Many par-ents said they buried childrenalong the way.

Some die just within reach of fi-nally getting help. Right in frontof a reception area at the campare dozens of freshly dug graves.

Once proud young men findthemselves sitting in the dirt,waiting to be registered. Life as arefugee is humiliating, especiallyin a culture that prizes independ-ence. The first step is clawingthrough a crowd to get a cup offlour and some glucose biscuits.Then comes registration, gettingfingerprinted twice, photo-graphed, logged in, cataloged.Kenyan government workersscurry around, wearing blue sur-gical masks and polo shirts thatsay “Refugees Are Real People.”

Somali refugees are typicallynot allowed to work in Kenya,and without special permissionthey are not supposed to leavethe camp. Dadaab is a place towarehouse people, often foryears. Aid workers predict thenumbers here could soon swell tohalf a million, sprawled acrossmiles of scrub brush.

“I never thought I’d lose all mycattle,” said Abdi Farah Hassan,who looked visibly uncomfort-able in line to be photographed.“I never thought I’d be a refu-gee.”

Clockwise from top: at the Dadaab refugee camp inKenya, a 4-year-old Somali girl who fell ill and diedwas buried; a malnourished child; people waitingfor rations during food distribution.

Misery Follows as Somalis Try to Flee HungerFrom Page A1

ETHIOPIA

YEMEN

DJIBOUTIGulf of Aden

Indian Ocean

SUDAN

UGANDA

SOMALIA

Mogadishu

Nairobi

Addis Ababa

Source: United Nations

Dadaabrefugee camp

KENYA

reaeaaa ooof f f bebeb low-ArAAatoormrmmal pprecipitational p ataattnono

TANZANIA300 MILES

THE NEW YORK TIMES

As drought grips Somalia, refugees are filling Dadaab.

One of the Somalis who are swelling the refugee camp in Dadaab, the world’s largest.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TYLER HICKS /THE NEW YORK TIMES

Reuben Kyama contributed re-porting from Nairobi, Kenya, andMohamed Ibrahim from Mogadi-shu, Somalia.

Yxxx,2011-07-16,A,003,Bs-BW,E1