climate
Not enough rain in East Africa – famine threatens
People affected by the drought sit in front of a hut in the Al-Hidaya camp for internally displaced persons on the outskirts of Mogadishu. Photo: Mohamed Odowa/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Three rainy seasons have already failed in parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. East Africa urgently needs water and humanitarian aid – otherwise millions of people face starvation.
In the Horn of Africa, 20 million people are at risk of starvation after the first month of the current rainy season has been drier than hoped.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) warned on Tuesday that only four percent of the aid money needed had been received since February.
Previously, parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya had already missed three rainy seasons. The crisis is being exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which has led to unprecedented food and fuel price increases, WFP said.
The hardest hit is Somalia, which could face starvation if rainfall continues and humanitarian aid fails, WFP said. According to this, six million people could soon be dependent on food aid there.
In southern Ethiopia, around 7.2 million people were affected after the worst drought since 1981. In Kenya, 3.1 million people are now in need of food aid, according to WFP.