Staggering Hunger Crisis: More than 74 Million People Struggle for Food in the Horn of Africa, Reveals Alarming Report

A recent report links the increase in food insecurity in the region to heavy rains, estimating a rise from 58.1 million affected people in February.

The downpour from late March to April caused significant flooding in Kenya, Somalia, Burundi, and Tanzania resulting in loss of life, livestock, displacement of many, and destruction of vital infrastructure like roads and bridges.

While some areas saw improved agriculture due to enhanced rains, it is likely that acute food insecurity will worsen in the hard-hit regions. Ongoing conflicts, displacement, food shortages, diseases, and poor sanitation also contribute to the alarming nutrition status in the region.

The report highlights the Democratic Republic of Congo with 20.4 million food-insecure individuals, followed by Sudan (12.8 million) and South Sudan (4.6 million). Sudan faces a rapid decline in nutrition, with a rise in malnutrition rates and a looming famine risk.

The Greater Horn of Africa is grappling with various disease outbreaks like cholera, malaria, measles, dengue, yellow fever, and polio, worsened by wet conditions that heighten the risk of water and vector-borne diseases due to flooding.

More rain is expected in the Horn of Africa between June and September as per the latest forecast from IGAD’s Climate Prediction Center.

Flooding between March and April claimed 473 lives and affected over 1.6 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).