The World Food Programme, a United Nations (UN) agency, has warned that around 20 million people could go hungry in the Horn of Africa region this year due to recent droughts and shortages of supplies caused by the situation in Ukraine.
According to the statement, Somalia faces “a very real risk of starvation” over the next six months.
Likewise, an estimated 7.2 million Ethiopians are no longer eating enough, and half a million Kenyans are just one step away from catastrophic levels of hunger and malnutrition.
World Food Program (WFP) Regional Director for East Africa Michael Dunford said: “We know from the past that early action is essential to avert a humanitarian disaster, but our ability to take action is limited due to the current lack of resources limited .
WFP and its humanitarian partners, the document said, have warned that the current drought could be catastrophic if the international community does not act immediately, as three consecutive below-average rainy seasons have led to an ongoing deterioration in food security.
On the other hand, the situation in the Horn of Africa has also been exacerbated by the aftermath of the war in Ukraine, as food and fuel costs continue to rise.
The UN Food and Agriculture Agency, FAO, launched a $130 million drought response plan in January to help 1.5 million people. To date, around $50 million has been received, the outlet concluded.