East Africa: 16 Million People Facing Food Shortages in East Africa and the
Horn
By Julius N. Uma, 31 July 2012
Juba - More than 16 million people, in six African nations, are currently
facing food shortages, that range from stressed to emergency levels food
insecurity, a recent report from Famine Early Warning Systems Network
(FEWSN) shows.
The affected countries include Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti
and Ethiopia, with poor rains, conflict, high food prices and in some cases
inability to access humanitarian assistance, seen as driving factors.
According to FEWSN, climate forecast by the Greater Horn of Africa Climate
Outlook Forum (GHACOF 31) for the June to September rains reportedly
indicate that the performance of these rains will be normal to above normal
in areas of East Africa that typically receive this rain.
"These rains are the main rains in most parts of Ethiopia, Sudan, South
Sudan and Djibouti," the report says, while adding that Northern Uganda and
the northern and coastal parts of Somalia also receive rains during this
season.
However, since it got independence over a year ago, South Sudan's has had
murky relationship with neighbouring Sudan, often characterized by clashes,
counter accusation and each blaming the other for working to allegedly
destabilize each other's regime.
Also, poor harvest, macroeconomic instability and widespread conflict in
South Sudan could see more than 4.7 million people or almost half of the
country's population at risk of food shortage; a million of whom could face
severe consequences, according to a United Nations food security assessment.
In a related development, the FEWSN report says, about 1.2 million resident
or host communities in the drought affected areas of North Darfur face
crisis levels of food insecurity, citing poor food availability and high
grain prices and in Jebel Mara due to the impacts of conflict on trade and
humanitarian access, as contributing factors.
"The rising pattern of insecurity is expected to cause new displacement,
reduce access by humanitarian agencies and reduce the flow of and on food
goods from central Sudan to Darfur resulting in even more higher prices,"
the report warns.
At least US$427m of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the U.N
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said its annual
report, were allocated to 11 U.N agencies and the International Organization
for Migration (IOM) last year.
According to the report, climate-related emergencies due to drought, floods
and storms, it says, received more than $149m from the fund, while over
$128m reportedly went to the Horn of Africa for people affected by drought
and food insecurity.
