By Bisola Adeyemo
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) weather forecast says people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia may experience average to below-average rainfall between March to May.
The UN humanitarians who revealed this on Wednesday, said in the last 40 years, northeast Africa drought has become a threat and the worst climate-induced emergency in the area in the past 40 years due to rains scarcity.
“People in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia have endured three consecutive poor rainy seasons,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
Scarcity of water has made millions of people face severe water shortages and go hungry due to the devastating drought in the region, the office said.
OCHA also said dry water sources across the region force people to walk long distances to find water while Conflict over scarce resources increases the risk of violence and abuse against children and women.
“The prolonged drought will leave more than 5.7 million children acutely malnourished in these three countries in 2022, 1.7 million of them severely acutely malnourished,” the office said.
“Humanitarian partners are scaling up the response and have assisted 1.6 million people in Somalia, over 2.7 million people in Ethiopia and more than 830,000 people in Kenya.”
OCHA urgently calls on the international community to step up support to organizations responding to the drought across the Horn of Africa.
Quality journalism costs money. Today, we’re asking that you support us to do more. Support our work by sending in your donations.
The donation can be made directly into NatureNews Account below
