horn of africa millions at risk as drought threatens

Horn Of Africa: Millions at risk as drought threatens

Last updated on February 16th, 2022 at 07:23 am

The drought is threatening millions of people in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia are affected by severe drought. The worst drought in decades led to millions of people being dependent on food aid.

The children walk among carcasses of animals dead from hunger and exhaustion. People are also getting affected because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The three countries have raised the alarm about the latest climate shock to the Horn of Africa region. Reportedly, people are trying to keep their animals and themselves alive.

In Ethiopia’s Somali region, people have seen the failures of what should have been three straight rainy seasons. The lack of rain severely affected the region.

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A resident of the region Zaynab Wali told the United Nations children’s agency that she and her seven children have never seen a drought like this. She revealed that the government distributed food and fodder during the last drought five years ago. She further added, “This time, we don’t have enough food for our family.”

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) revealed on Tuesday that more than 6 million people in Ethiopia are expected to need urgent humanitarian aid by mid-March. The government of Somalia and U.N. aid agencies warned that millions of people in Somalia are in urgent need of food assistance. Reportedly, in Somalia, more than 7 million people need urgent help. The Somali NGO Consortium said in a statement that it could be the region’s worst drought in 40 years.

Hafsa Bedel in Ethiopia’s Somali region told UNICEF that she lost 25 goats and sheep. There is also not adequate food for her own family, including her six children. According to UNICEF, more than 150,000 children in Ethiopia have dropped out of school to help fetch scarce water and other chores.