Over 13 Million People in the Horn Of Africa Face Severe Hunger, WFP

Over 13 Million People Across The Horn Of Africa Face Severe Hunger, WFP

By Lynnet Okumu / Published February 9, 2022 | 9:01 am

KEY POINTS

The continuous hike in food prices with little to no harvest has led to a decrease in demand for agricultural labor thus increasing the pressure on families trying to feed themselves.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The situation has been majorly accelerated by three consecutive failed rainy seasons which have decimated crops and caused abnormally high livestock deaths.

According to the U.N. World Food Program’s latest report, over 13 million people across the Horn of Africa face severe hunger due to the continued drought in the region.

The organization’s Eastern Africa Regional Director Michael Dunford said the situation has been majorly accelerated by three consecutive failed rainy seasons which have decimated crops and caused abnormally high livestock deaths.

Failed harvests and food shortages are forcing families from their homes, the WFP says, and immediate assistance is needed to prevent a humanitarian crisis.

“Harvests are ruined, livestock are dying, and hunger is growing as recurrent droughts affect the Horn of Africa,” said Michael Dunford.

The continuous hike in food prices with little to no harvest has led to a decrease in demand for agricultural labor thus increasing the pressure on families trying to feed themselves.

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Ethiopian government spokesperson Legesse Tulu said that the drought is spreading in Somalia and some parts of Oromia and Southern regional states.

Furthermore, the situation is fast spreading to parts of Kenya, south-central Somalia, and Eritrea. Research shows that around 250,000 people died of hunger in Somalia, half of them children between 2010 and 2012.

The number of acutely food insecure people in Somalia is expected to increase from 3.5 to 4.6 million between February-May 2022 if humanitarian assistance is not received. WFP is aiming to scale up its food assistance to support an additional 600,000 people in the first half of this year, reaching a total of almost 2.5 million.

In Ethiopia, an estimated 5.7 million people are affected by drought and require food assistance. WFP aims to support 2.9 million people with food relief in the Somali Region, 585,000 malnourished children and mothers with nutrition treatment, and 80,000 households with mothers or young children with preventative treatment against malnutrition.

To further avert the looming hunger crisis, WFP has launched its Regional Drought Response Plan for the Horn of Africa, calling for 327 million US Dollars to respond to the immediate needs of 4.5 million people over the next six months, and help communities become more resilient to extreme climate shocks.