Nairobi, March 8 (IANS) An estimated 82.1 million people in East and Central Africa are currently food insecure and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said in a statement.
The agencies said more than 53.1 million of those affected are in seven of the eight IGAD member states: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
Other affected countries include Tanzania, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi.
The two agencies attributed the surge in food insecurity to climate shocks and increasing conflicts in the region.
“Extreme weather events, escalating conflict in various areas, macroeconomic challenges, and widespread displacement remain the main drivers of acute food insecurity in the region,” the statement said, noting that Sudan and the DRC remain among the world’s most food-insecure countries.
According to the FAO and IGAD, 25.5 million people in the DRC are facing high levels of acute food insecurity. This includes displaced populations and returnees, particularly in North Kivu, Ituri, South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces, who are most affected due to prolonged conflict.
Similarly, in Sudan, 24.6 million people are highly food insecure, according to the statement, Xinhua news agency reported.
The agencies warned that the crisis could worsen in the coming months due to the ongoing La Nina phenomenon, which is expected to persist in the near term, with a likely transition to El Nino by May 2025. They called for immediate, coordinated and multi-sectoral lifesaving assistance in areas experiencing the most severe levels of acute food insecurity.
Africa is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events affecting various regions, impacting ecosystems and livelihoods, increasing water scarcity and contributing to desertification. It can lead to reduced crop yields, threatening the livelihoods of many who depend on agriculture. Adaptation strategies are crucial for building resilience in the agricultural sector.
According to the United Nations, Africa faces a significant burden from climate change, with countries losing 2-5 per cent of GDP and diverting up to 9 per cent of their budgets for climate responses. In sub-Saharan Africa, adaptation costs could reach $30-50 billion annually over the next decade, or 2-3 per cent of the region’s GDP. By 2030, up to 118 million extremely poor people may be exposed to droughts, floods, and extreme heat, hindering poverty alleviation and economic growth.
–IANS
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