The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says drought and violence have now driven one-quarter of Somalia's 7.5 million people from their homes, either to internal camps or to refugee camps in neighboring countries. The estimate Tuesday comes as aid groups seek urgent help for Somalia, where the lack of rain has compounded chaos caused by years of civil conflict. The UNHCR said it is especially disturbed by the high levels of malnutrition among the newest Somali refugees. It reported more than half of Somali children arriving in Ethiopia are seriously malnourished, as are about 40 percent arriving in Kenya. Many children are so weak when they arrive that they die within 24 hours, the agency said. "The drought, compounded by prevailing violence in southern and central parts of the country, is turning one of the world's humanitarian crises into a human tragedy of unimaginable proportions," said Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the UNHCR. "In June alone, 54,000 people fled across the two borders, three times the number of people who fled in May," she noted, adding that many children arriving in Ethiopia and Kenya were seriously malnourished. So far in 2011, some 135,000 Somalis have crossed the borders in search of refuge as well as food and water, joining millions of others who have fled over the last few years. "We estimate that a quarter of Somalia's 7.5 million population is now either internally displaced or living outside the country as refugees," said Fleming
