SBS Dateline | Failed State

Dateline goes where few western journalists have ever been… to the Somali frontline in Mogadishu, where civil war is destroying the country, already killing a million people and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

The scenes witnessed by reporter Peter Greste from the BBC’s Panorama are desperate – people constantly on the move to try and avoid danger, living in appalling conditions in war-damaged buildings and desperately fighting for food from aid agencies.

Many are even trying to escape the country's conflict and drought completely to places like the world’s biggest refugee camp in northern Kenya, or through the dangerous pirated waters off Somalia's coast.

And there’s concern that one group fighting the UN-backed Somali government, al-Shabab, has close links to al-Qaeda and could ultimately also threaten the west’s security.

So after 20 years of fighting, what hope is there in one of the most dangerous places on earth?

WATCH - Apologies, but the video is no longer available for copyright reasons. You can still read the transcript or find out more on the BBC Panorama website.

BLOG - Peter writes more about his time in Somalia and the desperation he witnessed.

HOW TO HELP - Find out how to contribute to the charities and aid groups helping to tackle the drought and conflict in East Africa.

REPLAY - Dateline recently reported from the Seychelles on the threat from Somali pirates to the region. Click to replay Pirates in Paradise.

On air: 10th July 2011