Unprecedented crisis in the Horn of Africa

Parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and northern Kenya in the Horn of Africa are on the brink of famine amid the worst drought in 40 years. A total of 20 million people in the region will need immediate food aid by the end of the year. Russia's war in Ukraine - one of the world's leading grain exporters - has pushed food prices to unprecedented levels.

In Somalia alone, including the breakaway region of Somalia, the severity of famine has doubled since the beginning of 2022. "More than six million people, about 40 percent of the population, will be experiencing acute food insecurity by mid-year," said Alessandro Abonizio, director of communications at the World Food Program. "According to the World Food Program in East Africa, at least 81,000 people are facing catastrophic starvation, a condition associated with severe levels of malnutrition and death."

"The cost of wheat and corn have risen by almost 50 percent since the beginning of the year," said Mahmoud Hassan, who lives with his parents and five younger siblings south of Marudi Jaks. The area classified by the warning system as the initial phase of the famine is only one step away from the famine alert level.

More than 90 percent of the wheat consumed in East Africa comes from Ukraine and Russia, so disruptions to the global food supply chain hit these communities hard when affordable food is needed more than ever. 

_{Source: Csmonitor, WFP}