Somalia has already struggled from three seasons of failed rains, thus leaving farmers and pastoralists worrying about a fourth drought season. Rains typically begin to occur during the spring months, in March or April. It has reportedly been the driest season in the last 40 years. Scholars believe that southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and many residents of Somalia will be affected by the drought. 

These countries are already suffering immensely, as half a million people in Kenya are already faced with emergency levels of hunger, 7.2 million people in drought-affect areas of Ethiopia are currently waking up hungry, and according to the World Food Programme (WFP), Somalia is at a high risk of famine. Approximately 3 million livestock have died across Southern Ethiopia and regions in Keyna since mid-2021. In Somalia, up to 30% of household herds have been killed. Additionally, the number of refugees in Eastern Africa has tripled in the last decade to almost 5 million.

Funding gaps have caused the WFP to decide who qualifies for food and who goes without. More than 70% of those who need assistance do not receive a complete ration due to funding shortfalls. Sadly, food scarcity has left children below the age of five years with stunted growth and wasting, as children lack the nutrients to grow and develop. 

Currently, humanitarian aid for the Horn of Africa is looking dire, as less than 4% is funded out of the $4.4 billion required. Officials worry that a lack of aid will yield the same outcome as the 2011 famine crisis, which killed 260,000 people. Jeremy Taylor, who is affiliated with the Norweigan Refugee Council, told the New Humanitarian, “We’ve been here before. We know what acting slowly does. Delay costs lives; an inability to mobilize resources-and to respond in time-costs lives.”

In 2016-2017, the Horn of Africa endured a drought, but humanitarian assistance was scaled up and was able to save lives in time; therefore, the World Food Programme has warned other countries and donors that the current drought could be disastrous if international communities did not act immediately. 

Additionally, due to the conflict present in Ukraine, food and fuel costs continue to soar in price. The WFP said that the drought-affected areas are likely to be the hardest hit, as the cost of food, particularly in Ethiopia and Somalia, depends on wheat imports coming from countries in the Black Sea region. 

“Furthermore, beyond the drought, many of the areas that we are concerned about have been plagued with conflict and insecurity, as well as macroeconomic challenges and rising food prices and recently also by Desert Locust,” said Dr. Chimimba David Phiri, UN Food and Agriculture Organization Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa. 

While speaking to journalists in Geneva, Dr. Phiri said that “We believe that the Ukraine crisis has indeed taken some of the luster from the needs of the Horn of Africa region,” he said. “It is important for the world that while they are considering the needs of Ukraine, they also consider the needs for the Horn of Africa.”

Hopefully, people residing in the Horn of Africa can receive aid and funding soon, as the drought could yield a severe and dire outcome.