Search
  1. Home
  2. HORN OF AFRICA

Severe food crisis looming

    ABIDJAN

    Humanitarian agencies have this week warned that the greater Horn of Africa region is on the brink of "a major humanitarian crisis", with some 12 to 18 million people (estimates vary depending on the number of countries included in the region) facing severe food shortages. Ethiopia faces the most severe crisis, with more than eight million people at risk,
    and Acting UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Carolyn McAskie reflected relief agencies' concern when she said: "We are facing the real prospect two months from now of another catastrophe." An additional two million more were at risk in Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea, while six million people more were threatened in Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, OCHA stated. The chief cause of such a dire situation is drought,
    endemic to the region, but it is compounded by conflict and a large number of both refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in many of the countries affected, it added.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join