Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA: June 21 (Ethiopian Informer) — The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on Friday warned over looming food insecurity in the Horn of Africa as some 11.7 million people need emergency food assistance across the region.
UNOCHA, in a statement issued Friday, disclosed that drought has left about 11.7 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya
The ongoing drought conditions in the four East African countries have also left the reported 11.7 million people vulnerable to infectious diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, diarrhea, measles and acute respiratory infections, according to UNOCHA.
It further noted that the drought conditions have left close to 785,000 children “severely malnourished” in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Uganda, with this number expected to rise in the coming months ahead due to consecutive poor seasons that have destroyed livelihoods.
“Many of the areas impacted by drought across the region have also been affected by internal conflict, and escalating food insecurity is likely to further heighten conflict risks, especially for women and girls, who will be forced to travel longer distances to reach clean water and food,” a statement from UNOCHA read.
The highest number of food insecure reside in Ethiopia, with 8.3 million Ethiopians currently in need of urgent food aid affected by a combination of adverse climatic conditions and internal conflicts, it was noted.
In March this year, the Ethiopian government and development partners, including UNOCHA, had appealed for 1.3 billion U.S. dollars to address food and non-food emergency needs of 8.3 million Ethiopians in 2019.
Ethiopia was spared significant climate-related calamities last year, but spikes in conflict-induced displacements, which led to a near doubling of internally displaced population, contributed to high humanitarian response needs in 2019.
