2020-2023 Horn of Africa Drought
The 2020-2023 Horn of Africa drought is an ongoing drought that hit the countries of Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The rainy season of 2022 was recorded to be the driest in over 40 years,[3][4] with an estimated 43,000 dying in 2022.[5]
| 2020-2023 Horn of Africa Drought | |
|---|---|
 FEWS (Famine Early Warning System's map of the region between October 2022 to January 2023. | |
| Country | Somalia, southern and south-eastern Ethiopia, and northern and eastern Kenya[1] |
| Location | East Africa |
| Period | October 2020 – present (Jan 2023) |
| Theory | severe drought, irregular rainfall |
| Effect on demographics | 36.4 million affected in total,[2] 18 million face extreme hunger, 1.5 million are displaced,[1] and 9.5 million livestock dead.[2] |
As of 2023, the region is now in its 5th failed rainy season[6] and a 6th failed season is predicted.[7]
Background
The drought is preceded by the 2011 East Africa drought and the 2017 Somali drought, and is caused by the El Niño effect.[8] The negative conditions of the Indian Ocean Dipole is also a contributor to the drought.[9]
Humanitarian situation
As of November 29, 2022, 36.4 million are reported to be affected in total, 24.1 million in Ethiopia, 7.8 million in Somalia and 4.5 million in Kenya. This includes 9 million women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years) who face dangers to their health and aggravated risks of gender-based violence due to the drought.[2] 18 million are facing extreme hunger, 1.5 million are displaced,[1] and 9.5 million livestock are reported dead, 4 million in Ethiopia, 2.5 million in Kenya and over 3 million in Somalia. Resulting in $1.5 billion being lost in livestock alone.[2] 5.1 million children are acutely malnourished in drought-affected areas, of whom nearly 2.7 million are in Ethiopia, 640,000 in Kenya and 1.8 million in Somalia.[2]
In Somalia, 7.8 million people face extreme hunger, a number that is expected to rise to 8 million by mid-2023, or half of the nations population.[10] The droughts effects are further exacerbated by the Russo-Ukrainian War, as Somalia exported 90% of its wheat from the region, with its own farming capabilities destroyed in the 3 decade long Somali Civil War.[10]
Livestock and wildlife
Pastoralists have reported much of their livestock perishing in the drought. In 2021, half of the lifestock of men in the town of Kargi, Kenya was reported to have died.[11]
Furthermore, the deaths of
- 205 elephants
- 512 wildebeests
- 381 common zebras
- 51 buffalos
- 49 Grévy's zebras
- 12 giraffes
were reported between September 2021 to 2022 May by the Kenyan Wildlife Service in the Amboseli, Tsavo and Laikipia-Samburu areas.[12]
References
- Stefan Ellerbeck. "The Horn of Africa is facing an unprecedented drought. What is the world doing to help solve it?". Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- OCHA. "Horn of Africa Drought: Regional Humanitarian Overview & Call to Action (Revised 24 August 2022)".
- Matthias Williams and Jason Neely. (31 May 2022). "Drought threatens starvation in Horn of Africa, U.N., agencies say". Reuters website Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- Cassidy, Emily. "Worst Drought on Record Parches Horn of Africa".
- "Report: 43,000 estimated dead in Somalia drought last year". AP NEWS. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- africanews. "Horn of Africa Faces Another Failed Rainy Season".
- Mishra, Donald Prakash. "The Horn of Africa Faces Deepening Crisis".
- Oxfam Int. "Drought in East Africa: "If the rains do not come, none of us will survive"".
- Joint alert by meteorological agencies and humanitarian partners. (30 May 2022). "The Threat of Starvation looms in East Africa after four failed rainy seasons." footnote 2. ReliefWeb website Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- Rescue.org. "Crisis in Somalia: Catastrophic hunger amid drought and conflict".
- Obi Anyadike. "For Kenya's pastoralists, COP26 promises come too little, too late".
- France24. "Hundreds of animals die in Kenyan wildlife preserves amid region's worst drought in decades".