crises
Aid organization Oxfam fears hunger crisis in East Africa
According to Oxfam, the Ukraine conflict will have an impact on the global food system – but the poorest and most vulnerable people will be hit the hardest and fastest. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The world is watching the war in Ukraine. The looming famine in East Africa could get out of sight – to the chagrin of millions of people.
The development organization Oxfam warns of an impending hunger crisis in East Africa. The reason for this is, among other things, the war in Ukraine, said CEO Gabriela Bucher.
“East Africa faces a deeply alarming hunger crisis. Areas in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and beyond are experiencing disaster. Even if the rains begin this month, the situation will not completely ease up,” says Bucher. With the international community’s attention focused on Ukraine, there is a risk that it will not respond adequately to the escalating hunger crisis in East Africa. Up to 28 million people across East Africa are at risk of starvation if the rains fail to materialize in March.
“The effects of the Ukraine conflict on the global food system will be felt around the world, but it is the poorest and most vulnerable people who will be hit the hardest and fastest,” said Bucher. East African countries import up to 90 percent of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia.
According to Oxfam, 21 million people in East African countries are already suffering from severe hunger. Nevertheless, humanitarian aid is completely underfunded. The organization calls on “governments, especially in grain-exporting countries, to do everything in their power to find suitable alternatives to Ukraine’s deliveries to low-income countries dependent on food imports.”