COVID-19, desert locust exacerbate food insecurity in East Africa: UN

BADDIS ABABA — The East Africa region is facing an unprecedented triple food security threat caused by the combined effects of recent severe floods, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the upsurge of desert locusts, the United Nation Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said.

The FAO, in a joint position statement issued together with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday, stressed that “urgent action is required to prevent a major food crisis in Eastern Africa”.

It emphasised that there is an increased risk of below-average rains during the upcoming October to December season, which could further threaten food security and livelihoods across the region.

According to FAO, even before these current challenges, Eastern Africa was considered among the most food insecure regions of the world, with nearly 28 million people in food insecurity crisis in 2019, or 20% of the total severely food insecure population across the world. It also stressed that an estimated 9 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition, including 2 million facing severe acute malnutrition.

The IGAD region is also one of the world’s leading sources and hosts of internally displaced persons and refugees and asylum seekers who, due to limited livelihood opportunities and degraded coping mechanisms, are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition, according to the FAO. The UNHCR estimates that the region currently hosts about 8 million internally displaced persons and 4 million refugees and asylum seekers.