Twenty million people are at risk of starvation as delayed rains worsen an already brutal drought in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia – UN
The United Nations has warned that 20 million people are at risk of starvation this year as delayed rains worsen an already brutal drought in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Six million Somalis or 40 percent of the population were facing extreme levels of food insecurity and there was "a very real risk of famine in the coming months" if current conditions prevailed, WFP said. In Kenya, half a million people were on the brink of a hunger crisis, with communities in the north of the country especially at risk due to their reliance on livestock.
Meanwhile malnutrition rates in drought-hit southern and southeastern Ethiopia have surged above emergency thresholds, while the north of the country has been in the grip of a 17-month war between government forces and Tigrayan rebels.The dire conditions have been exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine, which has contributed to soaring food and fuel costs and disrupted global supply chains, WFP said.