Kura Kalicha, a village in southern Ethiopia, is facing a severe crisis as a result of a prolonged drought that has led to the deaths of animals and critical malnutrition among residents. Jilo Wile, a local government official, has lost 73 out of his 75 cows to starvation, including children, elders, and pregnant women. The situation is dire, and aid agencies are warning that more help is needed to prevent a humanitarian disaster.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in decades, with five consecutive rainy seasons having failed, and the current one expected to do the same. According to the United Nations, nearly 12 million people, or 10% of Ethiopia’s population, are food insecure in drought-affected areas. The population in much of southern Ethiopia’s lowlands relies heavily on livestock, with basic crops like maize supplementing their diets. However, with crops failing and livestock dying, farmers have no source of income. Locals claim that aid has been insufficient and slow to arrive.
Ethiopia received only half of the $3.34 billion required for humanitarian needs last year, including drought relief and the fallout from the two-year war in the northern region of Tigray, which ended in November 2021 after tens of thousands of deaths. Mudasser Siddiqui, country director for Plan International, a child rights organization, warns, “If we don’t scale up our assistance, it won’t be possible to prevent the looming hunger crisis from affecting children, girls, and their families.”
The crisis is not solely a natural disaster but is also exacerbating existing issues such as poverty, conflict, and displacement. Many of the people affected by the drought are already vulnerable, with limited access to basic resources, education, and healthcare. The current drought could reverse some of the gains made in reducing poverty and improving food security in recent years.
The Ethiopian government has called on aid organizations to assist those affected by the drought, but many aid workers claim that the response has been slow and that the aid provided has been insufficient. There are also concerns about the drought’s impact on regional stability, as people compete for scarce resources and struggle to make ends meet.
Ethiopia is also grappling with a refugee crisis, with over 850,000 refugees from neighboring countries such as South Sudan and Eritrea currently residing in Ethiopia. Many of these refugees are also impacted by the drought, adding to the humanitarian crisis.
The international community has acknowledged the severity of the situation and is stepping up to provide aid. The European Union has pledged €110 million to Ethiopia to support humanitarian efforts, while the United States has announced $153 million in new funding for the country. The UN has also launched an appeal for $1.3 billion to support the humanitarian response in Ethiopia.
However, aid workers on the ground argue that more needs to be done to address the root causes of the crisis, such as climate change and conflict, and to build resilience in communities to withstand future shocks. Despite the aid, there are still concerns about the effectiveness of the response and whether it will be enough to prevent a full-blown humanitarian disaster. Southern Ethiopia is facing a severe crisis due to a prolonged drought that has led to the deaths of animals and critical malnutrition among residents.
With crops failing and livestock dying, farmers have no source of income. Many aid workers claim that the response has been slow and that the aid provided has been insufficient. The international community has stepped up to provide aid, but more needs to be done to address the root causes of the crisis and to build resilience in communities to withstand future shocks.
Image Credit: Michael Tewelde/WFP
