Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia face long months of drought that ravaged crops and livestock.
Le Monde with AFP
At least 20 million people face a risk of famine this year due to the drought worsening in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, was alarmed on Tuesday, April 19, the World Food Program (WFP) United Nations.
Long months of drought in the Horn of Africa have ravaged crops and livestock and forced many people to leave their homes looking for water and food. One month after the theoretical start of the rainy season, “the number of people who are hungry because of drought could skyrocket, moving from the current estimate of $ 14 million to 20 million in 2022,” said WFP in a statement.
Thus, 6 million Somalis, or nearly 40% of the population of this country, face extreme levels of food insecurity and, without improving the situation, at “a very real risk of famine in the coming months “, worries WFP.
In Kenya, 500,000 people are moving towards a food crisis, particularly in Northern communities who live livestock. In Ethiopia, where the war is raging for seventeen months in the North, the malnutrition rates in the South and the South-East have exceeded emergency levels.
Drought, Conflicts, Locusts
Some areas affected by drought in the Horn of Africa also undergo the cumulative effects of conflict, poverty and a locust invasion, said Tuesday the United Nations Food and Agriculture (FAO).
“We must act now (…) If we want to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe,” said a briefing in Geneva Chimimba David Phiri, the FAO representative with the African Union.
In addition, the situation is aggravated by the conflict in Ukraine, which contributed to the increase in food prices and fuel and disrupted supply chains, emphasizes WFP.
The Agency notes that the lack of funds in this region of the world could lead to a disaster and calls for funding of $ 473 million (€ 438 million) over the next six months. In February, a previous appeal had gathered less than 4% of the sums needed, she note.
“We know about past experiences that to avoid a humanitarian disaster, react quickly is vital. But our ability to switch on the response has been limited by a lack of funding to date,” says Michael Dunford, the Regional Director of the Regional Director. WFP for East Africa.
For its part, there is more than 60% of the funds required to help the 1.5 million people that this agency wants to support in the three countries. In 2017, early humanitarian mobilization had helped to avoid a famine in Somalia, unlike 2011 where 260,000 people – half of whom children under six – died of hunger or hunger-related disorders. According to experts, climate events are more frequent and intense due to climate change.