Somalia's Cash Problem, Food Crisis a Deadly Mix

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STEVE INSKEEP, host:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

The latest crisis in Somalia started with some wads of wrinkled old money. Somalia's shilling notes have lost half their value this year alone. And then traders in the capital city Mogadishu refused to accept them at all, which meant that Somalis could not afford to buy food that was already soaring in price. Soon, tens of thousands of people were protesting all over the city. Troops fired into the crowds, killing two people.

This is just the latest incident in a worldwide food crisis. And according to Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. secretary general, the trouble may not stop with food.

Mr. BAN KI-MOON (U.N. Secretary General): If not properly handled, this crisis could cascade into multiple crises affecting trade developments and even social and political security around the world.

INSKEEP: Aid agencies have been appealing for millions of dollars to pay for extra food supplies.

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