News: Report flags Ethiopia as hunger hot spot amid conflict and drought: 13 million in dire need of food aid

Addis Abeba – The FAO-WFP June 2024 Hunger Hot Spot report has classified Ethiopia as one of the world’s hunger hot spots, alongside several other African countries.

The report states that Ethiopia is currently grappling with a severe food crisis driven by conflict, drought, high living costs, and natural disasters.

According to the report, an estimated 13 million people in the country will require urgent food assistance between July and September 2024, including approximately four million internally displaced persons (IDPs), primarily in the Somali, Tigray, and Oromia regions.

The report highlights high rates of acute malnutrition among children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women, attributing this to disease outbreaks, inadequate services, and poor water and sanitation facilities.

It emphasizes the need for increased assistance during the lean season to prevent further deterioration of food security in affected areas.

While regions benefiting from favorable Belg rains between February and May 2024 may see improved household food availability, areas dependent on Meher crops are expected to face declining food access from June to September.

The report suggests that without increased aid during this period, more severe outcomes may occur, particularly in northern zones.

Weather forecasts indicate normal-to-above-normal rainfall from June to September, but potential La Nina conditions later in the year could lead to below-average rains, potentially impacting livestock production.

The report also notes that while basic food items are generally available in markets, high prices continue to limit household access to food. Food inflation reached 22.7% and general inflation reached 19.9% in June 2024, compared to the previous year. Staple food prices remain higher than both last year and the five-year average, reducing the purchasing power of households that rely on buying food.

This report follows earlier assessments by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).

In December 2023, FEWS NET projected that parts of Tigray and northeastern Amhara would experience emergency food insecurity from June to September 2024, with most areas remaining in crisis.

FEWS NET estimated that four million individuals across five regions of Ethiopia were at risk of emergency hunger conditions until at least mid-2024.

Regional reports have underscored the severity of the situation.

In December 2023, authorities in Tigray reported nearly 400 starvation-related deaths in a single month, including 25 children, mostly in four districts.

In November 2023, officials in the Amhara region reported over 20 starvation-related deaths in the Waghimra and North Gondar zones, along with livestock losses exceeding 85,000. AS