Eleven million facing famine in east Africa

Over seven million people in East Africa are in need of urgent assistance following the onset of one of the worst droughts in the region in years. So far only one third of the aid needed has arrived. Chris Connolly reports

Up to 11 million people in East Africa are facing critical food shortages brought on by one of the worst droughts seen in the region in years and exacerbated by other non-natural factors, according to the Red Cross. Of the 11 million, over seven million are in need of urgent assistance to halt the onset of a devastating humanitarian crisis.

Aid agencies have blamed consecutive years of poor and erratic rainfall for the crisis and say that a full-scale famine could be just weeks away. Typically, the region suffers a dry spell every five years or so, but in recent years they have become more frequent, with dry spells occurring every two to three years, and the huge number of pastoralist communities in the region have been unable to cope. Over 40 per cent of the population in East Africa and the Horn of Africa has been affected by the lack of rain in the past two years.

In Kenya and Tanzania over seven million people have been affected, with a further 2.5 million in Ethiopia. Millions more are suffering the effects of drought in Rwanda, Somalia, Burundi, Eritrea and Djibouti.

Aid agencies say that global climate change has contributed to the decrease in rains. The worst affected countries have been effectively crippled due to their reliance on pastoral farming, exports of which account for over 60 per cent of the economy in some areas.

The number of people who have died as a direct result of the drought is still in the hundreds, but this number is set to increase substantially over the coming months as long-range weather forecasts predict poor rainfall for the current season. Tens of thousands of livestock have already perished, endangering the livelihoods of those in the affected areas.

Humanitarian agencies and the governments of the affected countries have called for a huge increase in international assistance, warning that the number of people dying is increasing and could begin to  rise out of control in a matter of weeks. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which is heading the aid effort, has said that only one third of the aid needed to cover the shortfall has been received, blaming a general lack of interest in the crisis from the international media and a reluctance on the part of international donors to provide assistance. In Kenya, only eight per cent of aid needed has been pledged, while Somalia has received only 17 per cent.

The executive director of the WFP, James Morris,  described the consequences of the drought as “absolutely catastrophic” and said the situation is likely to deteriorate. “With forecasters suggesting that the April rains will also be poor, the number of families needing assistance could grow in the coming months,” Morris said. “Without adequate emergency food aid, we fear for the worst.”

In parts of Northern Kenya, one of the worst hit regions, up to 70 per cent of livestock has been lost and 95 per cent crop failure has been reported. Similar losses have been seen in Somalia, where half of the remaining livestock is expected to die by April, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation's Food Security and Analysis Unit.

The number of people in need of assistance across East Africa has doubled since January. Makeshift camps have sprung up over the past few months where thousands of people are awaiting assistance. The worst affected are the pastoralists, whose livestock has been severely depleted due to a lack of water and insufficient pastures. Three years of drought have left them with no source of food or income, and numbers in the camps are increasing each day, according to aid agencies on the ground.

The political situation in the region has also worsened the crisis in many areas. Violent inter-communal clashes over pastures and water access have increased, especially along the border region between northern Kenya and Somalia and Ethiopia, and aid distributors have faced increasing security problems. The aid agency Oxfam has warned that without a significant and immediate increase in the amount of aid arriving, conflicts could escalate to a degree not seen in the region for over a decade. Similar situations are occurring in other countries in the region as well, with ongoing tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, inter-clan fighting in Somalia and continued rebel activity in Burundi and Uganda.

Disaster control strategies and environmental management in most East African countries are at best inadequate and usually absent completely, leaving much of the population in a disastrous situation, with no emergency assistance plans for those who have lost their livelihoods and now face the possibility of starvation.