Kenya – More than 6 million hungry people “go unnoticed” in Africa

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday warned of a major food crisis affecting Africa, but has remained “unnoticed” due to the war in Ukraine. About 346 million people, or more than one in four Africans, are suffering from “abnormal” famine, and that number is expected to rise in the coming months, the ICRC said.

This food crisis is affecting the entire continent, from drought-stricken Ethiopia and Somalia to Mauritania and Burkina Faso. But there is a lack of funding to respond to it, the ICRC worries. “This is a catastrophe that often goes unnoticed. Millions of families are starving and children are dying of malnutrition,” said the ICRC’s director of global operations. Dominic StillhartDuring a press conference in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Mr Stilhard said the focus on the “terrible” plight of Ukrainians “should not prevent the world from seeing further crises.” The conflict in Ukraine has contributed to rising food and fuel prices and disrupting supply chains and amplifying the effects of the corona virus epidemic, the ICRC further points out.

The organization wants to allocate one billion euros this year for its humanitarian response in Africa, but not 800 million euros. “We are accelerating our operations … helping as many people as we can, but the number of people without water and food is staggering,” Stilhard said.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) last month warned that more than 70% of South Sudan’s population will face severe hunger this year due to political instability and catastrophe.

The government has warned that more than six million people in eastern and southern Ethiopia will need ‘urgent’ action this year for a severe drought in the horn of Africa.Un, January. In Burkina Faso, the number of people displaced by starvation has more than doubled over the past year. Mr. Stillhart recalled the indirect impact of climate change on harvests.

“It is clear that the current food security crisis is the result of the combined effects of the conflict … but it is also the result of repeated climate shocks,” he said.