An estimated 27 million people or 24 percent of the total food insecure people in the world live in seven of the eight countries in the IGAD region.
A new report by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Food Security Information Network (FSIN) draws special attention to the plight of millions of people experiencing acute levels of food and nutrition insecurity in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda.
According to the report, there were three main drivers of food insecurity in East Africa: climatic shocks, conflict and economic instability.
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 percent 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 percent of the population) were acutely food insecure.
Ambassador (Eng.) Mahboub Maalim, IGAD Executive Secretary called 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.
The regional report serves as an important milestone towards delivering the commitment of IGAD to fight acute hunger and malnutrition in the region. It is based on the third annual Global Report on Food Crises produced by the FSIN, a global initiative to improve food security and nutrition measurement and analysis, co-sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Adverse climate conditions were the primary drivers in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Djibouti, affecting 11.9 million people. Conflict and insecurity were the main drivers in South Sudan and Somalia leading to 8.8 million people acutely food insecure.
An economic crisis was the main driver in Sudan, where escalating food prices, sharp currency depreciation and fuel shortages led 6.2 million people to be acutely food insecure.
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 be lower in Kenya and Somalia.
Additional investments in resilience and on adaptation to climate change are required to provide households with a buffer against future shocks and stop the cycle of recurring food crisis.
The Ethiopian Herald September 5/2019
BY MEHARI BEYENE
