Granted by the Regional Intergovernmental Agency for Development, IGAD Area Focuses on Food Crises The report sounded the alarm about escalating food insecurity and malnutrition in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
Chimimba David Phiri said: “The current food security situation across the Horn of Africa is dire after four consecutive failed rainy seasons, a climate event not seen in at least 40 years, or since from the beginning of the satellite era”. FAO Sub-Region Coordinator for East Africa.
“Now more than ever, we must implement short-term livelihood-saving responses with long-term resilience building aimed at addressing the root causes of the food crises in our region”.
© UNFPA Ethiopia / Paula Seijo
Climate shocks and extreme weather are driving mass displacement and humanitarian needs across the Horn of Africa.
High level of danger
This year, about 300,000 people in Somalia and South Sudan are predicted to face the top end of the Integrated Food Security Stage classification scale – level 5, meaning extreme food shortages – with the risk of starvation. Poor quality occurs in 8 regions of Somalia, so the production of crops and livestock on a large scale has been lost.
The situation in 2022 marks a significant increase from last year, when 42 million people suffered high levels of severe food insecurity.
By 2021, the IGAD region will account for nearly 22% of the global population in crisis or worse (IPC Stage 3 and beyond), with an estimated 10 million children under 5 years of age suffering from acute malnutrition .
In addition, 24% of the world’s 51 million internal migrants are also in IGAD countries, mainly Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
Facing many shocks
The combination of climate extremes, conflicts and macroeconomic challenges is making many shocks nearly impossible to deal with.
Climate change and La Niña have caused an unprecedented multi-season drought that ended in one of the worst rainy seasons from March to May in 70 years.
Michael Dunford said: “Conflict, climate extremes, economic shocks, rising costs and now the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on food and energy prices are pushing millions of people away. famine in East Africa. WFP East Africa Regional Director.
Acknowledging that there is a “very real risk of starvation” in the region, he stressed the importance of preparing for and responding to future shocks, which he said are “increasingly inevitable due to climate change”.
UN boosts support in Uganda
Meanwhile, the UN team in Uganda is working closely with authorities and other partners to scale up the response to food insecurity, which currently affects more than half a million people in the country. northeast of the country.
More than 40% of the population in this region has faced severe levels of food insecurity in the past five months, partly due to drought caused by climate change.
WFP has raised $7.4 million of the nearly $19 million requested, preparing to assist a total of 217,000 people with feeding programs in three priority counties.
The United Nations agency is also providing rations to families with malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women in six counties as it continues to treat people with acute malnutrition. in all counties.
In response to the health effects of drought, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised more than 2.4 million USD to support the people of Uganda.
Led by Resident Coordinator Susan Namondo, the UN team is also working with authorities on a roadmap to better prepare the hardest-hit region of Karamoja to respond to shocks, including through early warning systems.
