Aid operations are resuming in southern Somalia after the militant group, al-Shabab, lifted a ban that had wiped out foreign humanitarian assistance. Although the al-Shabab ban was widely denounced, aid groups are also criticizing Western nations for what they call a lackluster effort to help avert the crisis despite dire warnings in advance. The Horn of Africa has been ravaged by high food prices, violence and the driest conditions in decades. Pointing to the virtual eradication of livestock in the Horn of Africa, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad said, “Once again our belated response is a vast operation to feed the starving, having failed to protect their livelihoods.”