Millions of famished Somalis have two bleak choices: they can beg for help from a weak, corrupt and divided transitional government, or remain in areas controlled by the Shabab, the ruthless, Al Qaeda-linked group that rules much of southern Somalia and has banned most Western aid organizations, even in a time of famine.The magnitude of the suffering could shift the political landscape here, which has been dominated by chaos since 1991 when clan warlords overthrew the central government, then tore apart the country.

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