NEO Maroc

Famine in Africa. Millions are on the doom of starvation due to the Horn of Africa hunger crisis. Many questions arise about the causes and solution measures.

 

Famine in Africa

Famine in Africa

As the Horn of Africa lurches from crisis to crisis, millions of people are trapped in a hunger emergency. The World Food Programme (WFP) issued a warning, stating that flash flooding and rains have replaced the longest drought in recorded history.

 

Reasons behind the crisis

Due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, food and energy prices are still unabatedly high in the region.

According to Michael Dunford, the WFP's regional director for Eastern Africa, "the Horn of Africa region is facing multiple crises simultaneously: conflict, climate extremes, and economic shocks."

Tens of thousands of Somalis fleeing multiple crises swarm Kenyan refugee camps.

 

Floods and increased degradation

Flooding has replaced drought after five unsuccessful rainy seasons in a row, killing livestock and damaging farmland and further uprooting livelihoods."And now, hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to flee their homes due to the outbreak of conflict in Sudan."      

The long-awaited rains that finally arrived in March should have provided some relief. Rather, homes and farms were submerged by flash flooding, which also destroyed livestock and forced the closure of medical centers and schools. 219,000 people in southern Somalia were forcibly removed from their homes, and 22 of them lost their lives in the process.

 

Harsh repercussions

More than 23 million people in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia are in danger of starvation as a result of the three-year drought. Malnutrition and mortality rates continue to be major causes of concern.

Food prices have risen significantly beyond the means of millions of people in the area due to a string of poor harvests and expensive transportation. In March 2023, the price of a food basket in Eastern Africa was 40% higher than it was a year earlier. Fuel costs have nearly doubled in Ethiopia in the past year.

 

A lifelines

Humanitarian aid is a lifeline as the region's recovery will take years. However, the conflict in Sudan has forced over 250,000 people to flee to neighboring countries like Ethiopia and South Sudan, where food insecurity is already extremely high, further taxing already scarce humanitarian resources.

A fast scale-up of life-saving aid was initiated by WFP and partners in drought-stricken Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia last year, which prevented starvation in Somalia. However, the WFP is currently experiencing a cash crunch and must reduce its assistance.

"Famine in Somalia in 2022 was avoided thanks to WFP's quick expansion of life-saving assistance," WFP spokesperson Michael Dunford stated. Even though the emergency is far from over, we are already having to cut back on aid to those who are in the greatest need of it due to financial constraints.

 

Fears of worsening the crisis

"The next climate crisis could push the region back to the verge of famine without sustained funding for both emergency and climate-adaptation solutions."

In Somalia, the drought is most severely affecting women and children.

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain stated, "Drought and conflict are devastating millions of Somalis," while on a visit to the country earlier this month. The price that children pay is the highest of all. There could be 500,000 or more children who die. How many more need to be lost? The world needs to act now.

 

The lack of aid is life-threatening

A record 4.7 million people in Somalia were receiving food assistance from WFP by the end of 2022. However, the WFP was forced to cut this to 3 million people in April due to funding shortages. By July, the WFP will have to further reduce the number of cases it handles in Somalia for emergency food assistance to just 1.8 million due to a lack of funding. This implies that despite their ongoing needs, nearly 3 million people will not receive assistance.

For the next six months, WFP desperately needs US$810 million to fund long-term resilience in the Horn of Africa and continue providing life-saving aid.