Over 18 Million People Affected By Drought In Horn Of Africa-UN Humanitarian Chief
The Horn of Africa region which consists of Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia is faced with “the prospect of a significant loss of lives,” if humanitarian aid is in the region is not scaled up soon.
Over 18 million people across Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya have been affected by the drought in the Horn of Africa region with 16.7 million out of this facing extreme hunger due to the climate crisis, a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has revealed.
According to Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, who was on a two-day visit to Kenya on May 13,2022, the number of persons affected by the drought is expected to rise as the “current rainy season has been below average.”
Griffiths also said that people in Lomopus village in Turkana County, Kenya, displaced persons in Doolow, Somalia and Korehey zone in the Somali region of Ethiopia (whom he interacted with) are in dire need of “the world’s attention and action now,” as the drought is threatening their existence and livelihoods.
In addition to the loss of livestocks, children in the village of Lomopus depend on the government school feeding programme as there is no longer food from the village to feed them. In the same vein, pupils have been forced to drop out because they lack tuition fees while some female students have been married off by their parents.
“If I have one message to the world, it is to not forget the people of Lomopus and others across the region who desperately need our help,” Griffith said, describing them as “the human face of the global climate crisis,” which they have no hand in.
The Horn of Africa, a region consisting of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya is facing the worst drought to be recorded in the region in the last 40 years.
About 40 per cent of the population in the Horn of Africa are malnourished. The figure in some countries is up to 70 per cent .Humanitarian organisations such as Save the Children and UNICEF have raised concerns over the wellbeing of children in the region as they are in danger of severe hunger and death.
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