Drought worsens in Africa, more than 13 million face hunger

The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) revealed that an estimated 13 million people in the Horn of Africa are suffering from extreme hunger. Pastoralists and farmers in southern and southeastern Ethiopia, southeastern and northern Kenya, and south-central Somalia have been devastated by drought, with expectations of below-average rainfall likely to exacerbate already grave conditions in the coming months. "Recurrent droughts in the Horn of Africa have wrecked harvests, killed animals, and increased hunger," said Michael Dunford, regional director of the WFP Regional Bureau for Eastern Africa, in a statement on Tuesday. "The situation necessitates immediate humanitarian assistance and ongoing support in order to strengthen communities' long-term resilience." Water and pasture shortages caused by three consecutive dry seasons have destroyed crops and resulted in very high livestock fatalities. Furthermore, increases in staple food costs, inflation, and a lack of demand for agricultural labour have hampered people's capacity to purchase food. According to the World Food Programme, families are being evicted from their houses, resulting in rising community violence. Malnutrition rates remain high across the region, and if no fast action is taken, they may deteriorate. The United Nations has regularly expressed concern about the extended drought in the vulnerable region, which is prone to armed conflict. UNICEF, the country's children's organisation, stated earlier this month that by mid-March, more than six million Ethiopians would require urgent humanitarian assistance. According to the Somali NGO Consortium, more than seven million people in neighbouring Somalia require immediate assistance. Extreme weather events, according to experts, are occurring with greater frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. The United Nations warned in October of last year that accelerated climate change was threatening more than 100 million "very poor" people throughout Africa and that the continent's few glaciers could melt away within 20 years.

Drought worsens in Africa, more than 13 million face hunger

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