As hunger spreads in east Africa, famine threatens to take hold beyond South Sudan. Lucy Lamble explores the background and response to the crisis

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A combination of drought and conflict has left the lives of more than 20 million people in east Africa in the balance. As the danger grows that other countries will follow South Sudan into famine, Lucy Lamble examines how the biggest crisis since 1945 has evolved and what can be done to tackle the situation.

She is joined by Guardian reporter Ben Quinn, who recently visited some of the worst affected areas of Somalia, in the self-declared independent state of Somaliland. He describes his journey across the parched landscape stretching from Hargeisa to Burao, and offers his thoughts on the speed and scale of the humanitarian response.

We also hear from Simona Foltyn, a freelance journalist who describes what she saw at food distribution sites in South Sudan’s Unity state, one of the areas hardest hit by famine, during a recent visit. She discusses the need for more consistent access to the state and tackles the issue of whether donations will end up in the right hands.