On November 9, 2022, women walk through shelters in Sebedow Internally displaced Person IDP camp, one of more than 500 that surround Baidoa and hosts 900,000 refugees in Baidoa, Somalia. PHOTO AFP ADDIS ABABA - The UN World Food Programme WFP warned on Friday that unprecedented levels of acute food insecurity have persisted in Horn of Africa HOA countries.
In its latest Horn of Africa drought response and situational report, the WFP said countries in the region, mainly Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, have been experiencing severe drought for two and half years after five failed rainy seasons.
It said the region is currently experiencing the most severe and protracted drought in decades, leading to unprecedented levels of acute food insecurity in southern and southern parts of Ethiopia, Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands, and much of Somalia.
The situation has been exacerbated by various factors such as population growth, macroeconomic volatility, pandemics, extreme poverty and conflicts, the WFP said the Horn of Africa region is known for its recurring droughts.
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The latest figures show that 5.4 million people in Kenya will be food insecure from March to June 2023, according to the WFP.
In Somalia, an estimated 6.5 million people are expected to face a crisis or worse food insecurity from January to March 2023, it said. In Ethiopia, some 11.8 million people need emergency food assistance in drought-affected areas alone, an increase of 59 percent compared to early 2022.
It said that the Horn of Africa has been one of the most food-insecure regions with higher prevalence rates than other parts of the world.
The WFP warned that the occurrence of another poor rainy season between March and May 2023 would have devastating consequences for communities.
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It said that humanitarian needs will remain high in 2023, and multi-sectoral assistance must be scaled up to save lives regardless of seasonal performance.