Hunger buffeting 18.4m Africans in war and drought zones
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
More than 18.4 million Africans in war and drought zones are reeling in hunger, according to United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) German-partner, and another 1.5 seeking protection are also in urgent need of help.
UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe sounded the alarm that refugees around the world, including in Africa, are facing food shortages caused by Covid and exacerbated by the Russian war in Ukraine.
The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and droughts are worsening humanitarian crises like the one in Yemen, it said.
It expressed concern that migrants and internally displaced persons (IDPs) as well as host populations who take those groups in will suffer most from food shortages and hunger.
“In the Horn of Africa alone, which is currently experiencing the worst drought in 40 years, an estimated 18.4 million people are suffering from acute hunger,” said UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe.
More than 1.5 million people seeking protection are also in urgent need of help, added InfoMigrants.
It also highlighted the horrible situation in Yemen, where a civil war has been raging for almost eight years, causing an already unbalanced economy to collapse and leaving 80 per cent of the population dependent on aid.
The civil war has made the UN call Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
It said failed grain deliveries and rising food prices make the difficult situation worse: 17.4 million people, or more than half of Yemen’s entire population, are on the brink of famine, according to UNHCR.
Among them are 3.8 million IDPs and refugees.
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Civil war in Yemen
The Yemeni civil war, opposing the Saudi-backed government against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands directly or indirectly.
UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe noted the coronavirus pandemic, ongoing droughts and the war in Ukraine, where Russia had blocked vital grain exports until last week, are considered the main reasons for the food scarcity in Yemen, per Vanguard reporting.
“In Germany, we feel global delivery shortages and food scarcities when sunflower oil and wheat flour temporarily disappear from supermarket shelves – but for many refugees and IDPs in especially crisis-ridden regions, they are a matter of survival,” said Peter Ruhenstroth-Bauer, Managing Director of UN Refugee Relief.
The current situation could also create a breeding ground for new conflicts and displacement, he added.
“During the past four months, ordinary Yemenis have experienced the longest period of calm in the country in over seven years,” the aid groups said in a joint statement.
“Since the truce entered into force on April 2, reports of civilian casualties have dropped significantly.”