Posted on September, 4, 2019 at 10:54 am
AN estimated 27 million people or 24 percent of the total food insecure people of the world live in east Africa, a report released on Monday by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has revealed.
The regional bloc’s Food Security Information Network (FSIN) said 27 million people who are affected by food insecurity live in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda.
Climatic shocks, conflict and economic instability were the main drivers of food insecurity in East Africa, it said, noting that the worst-affected countries in 2018 in terms of acute food insecurity were Ethiopia (8.1 million), Sudan (6.2 million) and South Sudan (6.1 million).
In South Sudan, 59 per cent of the population, or six out of ten people required urgent assistance to protect livelihoods, reduce food consumption gaps and malnutrition. In Somalia, more than one in five people (or 22 per cent of the population) were acutely food insecure.
Ambassador Mahboub Maalim, IGAD Executive Secretary said at the launching of the report that the main drivers of acute food insecurity and malnutrition in the region are climate, conflict and economic instability.
“I call on IGAD specialized offices, member states and partners to invest further in resilience, adaptation to climate change, conflict prevention and sustaining peace to overcome vulnerability and address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition,” he told the delegates.
The regional report serves as an important milestone towards delivering IGAD commitment to fight acute hunger and malnutrition in the region. The report noted that the aggregate number of acutely food insecure has increased every year since 2017, with the worst-affected countries in 2018 in terms of number of people in acute food insecurity being Ethiopia (8.1 million), Sudan (6.2 million) and South Sudan (6.1 million).
As in 2018, below-average rains, conflict and economic crisis continue to drive food insecurity, where Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan are expected to remain among the world’s most severe food crisis situations in terms of people affected.
In comparison to peak 2018 levels, updated projections for 2019 as of July indicate that food insecurity levels will likely be higher in South Sudan and Sudan, remain stable in Ethiopia and Uganda, and lower in Kenya and Somalia, the report added.
Source: IPP Media