East Africa Drought

The Horn of Africa is facing its worst drought in more than forty years.

The October-December 2020, March-May 2021, October-December 2021, and March-May 2022 seasons all experienced below-average rainfall. This has left large swathes of Somalia, southern and south-eastern Ethiopia, and northern and eastern Kenya facing the most prolonged drought in recent history.

With the world’s attention on the conflict in Ukraine, what we are seeing unfold in the Horn of Africa is largely underreported and little-known.

It is important that we shine a light on what is happening in East Africa.

The region is experiencing the dire impact of the worst drought in over 40 years, driven by climate change. Conflict has also been driving people from their homes. This has created a desperate situation for vulnerable communities who urgently need support.

Droughts are a natural part of our climate. Moving weather patterns like high temperatures and lack of rain define and influence droughts.

But the climate crisis is worsening extreme drought in some regions around the world, including the Horn of Africa.

Conflict in the Horn of Africa has been a long-standing driver of displacement. But extreme weather, made worse by the climate crisis, is damaging crops and killing livestock. Increasing temperatures and more extreme changes in rainfall patterns are worsening drought conditions. As a result, more people are on the move to find food, water, and somewhere to live.

These conditions can also lead to social unrest, famine, and migration.

Food insecurity caused by extreme drought is a major factor driving displacement.

For example, in Somalia there are more than seven million people affected by the drought. 800,000 people are displaced and many of them are still on the move as they desperately search for food, water, and grazing land for their livestock.

The conflict in Ukraine is severely affecting people facing extreme hunger across East Africa and other parts of the world.

Known as the world’s breadbasket, Ukraine supplied 10% of the world’s wheat before the conflict. But the war has severely disrupted the supply. Ukrainian grain imports to Somalia and Ethiopia have stopped. And combined with the extreme drought conditions, this has led to escalating costs and a lack of food across the Horn of Africa.

The higher cost of living is affecting many of us around the world. However, for people already on the brink of starvation, it has become a life-or-death situation.