Could put 13 million people at risk of starvation
Drought pushes East Africa to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe
Many people are displaced from their homes due to the drought.
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About half of the children in Somalia, or about 1.4 million, will suffer from malnutrition in the coming months.
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The Horn of Africa is facing the dangers of a severe drought, which could compound its already existing humanitarian crises, including the devastating conflict in Ethiopia, which has displaced nearly two million people from their homes.
Given that this drought will destroy crops and kill livestock, it is expected that about 13 million people will suffer from high levels of hunger, according to the report of the United Nations Food Program.
These drought conditions have so far led to a decline in food production and the death of about 1.5 million livestock, a huge loss that will exacerbate food insecurity in the entire region.
About six million people have been affected by the drought, and they are likely to need food assistance.
The same applies to neighboring Somalia. The drought has displaced some 245,000 people from their homes.
This number could rise to 1.4 million if the drought worsens, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council's forecast.
Cameron Hudson, senior expert at the Center for Africa, affiliated with the Atlantic Council, said that many of the region's residents are the most vulnerable to drought, and noted that parts of the region have been attacked by locust swarms, in addition to protracted conflicts. Drought conditions to all these difficulties experienced by the region, it would be a warning of a disaster.”
worst case scenario
The recent drought has been terrible, because the region has experienced long periods of significantly reduced rainfall.
Western governments and international organizations are scrambling to deal with and avoid famine if a worst-case scenario emerges in the coming months.
This week, the US Agency for International Development, the largest US aid agency, announced that it is allocating $39 million to address the drought, with the funds intended to help about 1.6 million people cope with the driest conditions in the region.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) called for the collection of 130 million dollars, in order to finance aid in the region, and the organization's director for emergencies, Ren Paulsen, said in a statement, "Certainly we are on the brink of disaster, and stressed that the funds raised by his organization are aimed at Helping rural people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, including supporting irrigation and rehabilitating water systems, and sending money to the people most affected by drought.
fear
Officials and experts fear that they may face difficulty in raising funds to mitigate the worst effects of this drought, from international donors, after years of crisis and drought in the region.
The region's history of drought has weakened the international response, Hudson said.
Droughts are no longer seen as exceptional circumstances.
Rather, it is expected, and climate change increases the frequency of droughts, which contributes to increased climate variability.
Water shortages in Ethiopia have reached record levels.
Water shortages could lead to tensions surrounding the Sakhm Dam project, such as the one the Ethiopian government is constructing on the Blue Nile.
The Ethiopian government says the project will increase energy in the area and could mitigate the bad effects of the drought on the farming community.
The shrinking of food production in the region could lead to catastrophic results, as the rate of food production in Kenya fell by 70%, which led to high inflation, and soaring food prices.
About half of the children under the age of five in Somalia, or about 1.4 million, will suffer from severe malnutrition in the coming months, according to the United Nations Children's Fund.
About 5.5 million children in this region are at risk.
This type of crisis is an example of food insecurity, said Chris Funk, director of the Climate Risk Center at the University of California.
And with the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, a program that tracks food crises, forecasts, parts of the region may experience a little rainy season this spring.
If these expectations come true, this situation will set a historical precedent, something that has not been seen in the region before, according to the US Agency for International Development.
• Officials and experts fear that they will face difficulty in raising funds to mitigate the effects of this drought from international donors.
• The recent drought has been terrible, because the region has experienced long periods of significantly reduced rainfall. Western governments and international organizations are scrambling to deal with and avoid famine if a worst-case scenario emerges in the coming months.
• 5.5 million children in East Africa are at risk.
Robbie Grammer, National Security Correspondent and Diplomat for the "Foreign Policy"
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