OXFAM has said that world leaders are failing to tackle the “catastrophic hunger” crisis facing millions across Africa – amid a cut in the UK aid budget.
One person is likely to die of hunger every 48 seconds in drought-ravaged Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, according to estimates by Oxfam and Save the Children.
The statistics were revealed in a report titled Dangerous Delay 2: The Cost of Inaction, produced in partnership with the Jameel Observatory.
UK aid to the region has almost halved in the past year due to the cut in the international aid budget.
In 2017, the UK Government provided £861 million as part of a global response to help avert the famine but it has allocated just £219m to the three countries over the last year.
Oxfam GB’s chief impact officer John Plastow said: “Despite worsening warning signs over time, world leaders have responded woefully – too late and still too little – leaving millions of people facing catastrophic hunger.
“I recently visited drought-affected areas in Ethiopia and Kenya where I met herders such as Mustafa in Somali Region who had lost all but one of his cattle and even four of his eight hardy camels.
“People’s health is suffering, many are starting to uproot themselves, scarcity of resources is causing conflict between communities within households, and the most vulnerable people are already dying.”
Climate-induced droughts coupled with conflicts forcing people to flee their homes as well as the economic impact of Covid-19 have decimated people’s ability to cope.
The crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of crippling national debts that have more than tripled in under a decade – from a combined $20.7 billion in 2012 to $65.3 billion in 2020 for Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya combined.
This has meant a reduction in the resources available for public services and social protection.
Save the Children’s spokesperson for East and Southern Africa Shako Kijala said: “We’re seeing horrific levels of malnutrition with 5.7 million children currently acutely malnourished.
“With the UN warning that more than 350 000 could die in Somalia if we do not act, the clock is ticking.
“Every minute that passes is a minute too close to starvation and possible death of children. How can we live with that if we let it happen again?”
The report warned that the world is once again facing a situation similar to the famine in 2011 which killed more than 260,000 people in Somalia – half of them children under five.
Researchers did find an improved response to the 2017 East Africa drought when widespread famine was averted although they said that the national and global responses have largely remained too slow and too limited to prevent history repeating itself.
Head of the Jameel Observatory Guyo Roba said: “Donors, development agencies, governments and the private sector must work together with affected communities to prepare and respond to risks, rather than wait for crises to spiral out of control.”
The report also found that East African governments bear their own responsibility for delayed responses as they seemingly refuse to acknowledge the scale of the crisis facing their country.
Without adequate investment into agriculture, people are unable to cope with the impact of droughts.
