The United Nations warns of the drought which might lead to the famine of millions of people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
“The most severe drought in the Horn of Africa region in four decades may not ease any time soon, with rains from October to December unlikely to be enough,” the Center warns. Prediction and Applications of IGAD (ICPAC), FAO, WFP, among others.
These organizations note “a slight increase in mortality due to hunger is currently occurring in the region”. There is growing concern ‘that more extreme food insecurity issues, marked by extremely critical levels of acute malnutrition and high levels of hunger-related mortality, will arise in the remainder of the year’ .
In Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, 17.8 million people need emergency food aid to avoid acute malnutrition or starvation. Also, the number of malnourished children admitted to hospitals has “increased considerably during the first quarter of 2022” in these countries due to the worsening drought. The prolonged dry spell associated with the invasion of locusts, disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest and soaring food and fuel prices related to the Ukrainian crisis, have aggravated the food insecurity in the region, details the UN.
