Famine still haunts the Horn of Africa, following two failed rainy seasons and conflict in Somalia. According to the United Nations, over 13 million people in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti have now been affected.
Since last July, an unprecedented number of Somalis – nearly 900,000 – have crossed the borders into neighbouring countries like Kenya and Ethiopia. The Dadaab camps, designed for 90,000 people, are now home to over 400,000 refugees.
Andrew Edwards, MRDF Programme Manager for Kenya and Ethiopia, said: ‘Dry seasons are common in the Horn of Africa, but the failure of the last rainy season hit when people were yet to recover from the 2010 drought.
“In parts of Ethiopia, for example, people were unable to harvest the short maturing crops such as cabbage and sweet potatoes. Then the prices of staple crops such as maize and sorghum soared. So many families had no choice but to make the long trek to the refugee camps. With millions affected, this is a crisis that will not be resolved quickly.”
Over £385,000 has been donated to this Africa food crisis appeal to date. This is providing emergency food supplies through the Methodist Church’s emergency relief partner, the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance. As a result of MRDF support, people are also receiving tarpaulins for temporary shelters, blankets, plastic sheets, impregnated mosquito nets and sleeping mats. If you would like to help, please visit: www.mrdf.org.uk/
Famine in the Horn of Africa