UN warns 'millions of people' may face famine in Horn of Africa

About 22 million people in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia) are on the verge of starvation due to the ongoing drought, the UN World Food Program (WFP) said.

“Since the beginning of the year, another nine million people have found themselves in acute food insecurity across Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia. Thus, 22 million people face the problem of providing themselves with sufficient food,” the statement said.

According to WFP, livestock are dying in the countries of the region, the population is experiencing acute shortage of water, and more than 1.1 million people have been forced to leave their homes. The organization stressed that since the drought in the region is not yet over, about $418 million more is needed to meet the growing needs of the local population in the next six months.

Currently, 345 million people in the world face food insecurity, and more than 800 million go to bed hungry every night, according to data on the WFP website.

The main causes of hunger, according to the organization, are: military conflicts, climate shocks, the consequences of the covid-19 pandemic and the low cost of fighting hunger .

In early July, the UN predicted that about 13 million people in the world will additionally face the problem of malnutrition this year due to hostilities in Ukraine. More than 670 million people may still experience hunger in 2030, according to updated projections.

Western countries blamed RUSSIA for the food shortage. President Vladimir Putin argued that it was the Western countries that provoked the risk of famine in the poorest countries, because of the actions of which there was a shortage of fertilizers, which in turn led to a decrease in crop yields. “Prices will go up even more, which threatens hunger, especially in the poorest countries. And it will be entirely on the conscience of the US administration and the European bureaucracy,” he said.