As the new transitional parliament is set to convene for the first time on Somalia’s soil, a severe drought affecting the south of the country puts additional strains on the capacity of the Somali people to cope with the effects of civil war and massive internal displacement. “The drought hit southern Somalia just when prospects for the hundreds of thousands of people who lost their homes due to the ongoing insecurity have begun to lighten up somewhat with the re-establishment of government authority and increased international attention on the displacement crisis,” said Toril Brekke, acting Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.