Horn of Africa drought drives 13 million to hunger

NAIROBI – Vast swathes of land stretching from southern Ethiopia to northern Kenya and Somalia are in the grip of a severe drought that has left 13 million people facing hunger.

Across these regions, where people eke out a living from mainly agro-pastoral activities, the three rainy seasons since the end of 2020 have been marked by low rainfall, exacerbated by a locust invasion that devastated crops between 2019 and 2021.

“The population of the Horn makes up only four percent of the global population, but it represents 20 percent of the population that is food insecure,” Michael Dunford, World Food Programme (WFP) regional director for eastern Africa, said earlier this month.

According to the UN agency, 5.7 million people need food aid in southern and southeastern Ethiopia, including half a million malnourished children and mothers.