BERLIN/NAIROBI (dpa-AFX) – The development organization Oxfam warns of an impending hunger crisis in East Africa. The reason for this is, among other things, the war in Ukraine, said CEO Gabriela Bucher. “East Africa is facing a deeply alarming hunger crisis. Areas in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and beyond are experiencing a catastrophe. Even if the rains begin this month, the situation will not completely ease,” said Bucher. With the international community’s attention focused on Ukraine, there is a risk that it will not respond adequately to the escalating hunger crisis in East Africa. Up to 28 million people across East Africa are at risk of starvation if the rains fail to materialize in March.
“The effects of the Ukraine conflict on the global food system will be felt around the world, but it is the poorest and most vulnerable people who will be hit the hardest and most quickly,” said Bucher. East African countries import up to 90 percent of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia.
According to Oxfam, 21 million people in East African countries are already suffering from severe hunger. Nevertheless, humanitarian aid is completely underfunded. The organization calls on “the governments, especially of grain-exporting countries, to do everything in their power to find suitable alternatives to Ukraine’s deliveries to low-income countries dependent on food imports.”/svv/DP/ngu