In addition, COVID-19 and the consequences of the war in Ukraine are pushing East Africa into catastrophe. Because of climate change, they are becoming even more frequent. These are the driest conditions with the highest temperatures in the region for more than 40 years. For one, the region is suffering from a La-Niña-induced drought from four consecutive failed or below-average rainy seasons.ĭroughts occur every few years in East Africa. There are many factors causing the catastrophe unfolding in East Africa. They do not happen overnight they develop over time until they cause massive harm and suffering. A famine is not a natural disaster but a result of human actions or lack of action to prevent it. What are the main causes of famine?įamines are caused by multiple factors including conflict and climate. That is why immediate action is needed in Somalia and the rest of East Africa to avoid mass deaths. That means that, by the time a famine is declared, children are already starting to die because their parents cannot give them enough food to survive.
This criteria includes at least 30% of a given area's children suffering from severe malnutrition.
So what does the declaration of a famine mean and what can we do to help? What is famine?Ī famine is declared when a certain set of conditions have been met. More people will become displaced, more will go hungry and more will die of hunger and thirst.įamines are not common. The lives of millions of people are at stake without urgent attention. The situation has been steadily deteriorating for two years, despite repeated warnings. The drought has even surpassed the failed rains of the 2011 famine, which killed over 250,000 people. The region is entering a fifth consecutive season without enough rainfall. Without action to help people already dying of hunger, the country could soon see mass death.Īcross East Africa, extreme hunger is on the rise. In Somalia alone, over half a million people have already fled their homes since the start of 2022. Hundreds of thousands of people are on the move to try and find food and water-with many not surviving the journey. Over 14 million people across Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya-about half of them children-are on the verge of starvation.
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