Global Issues
BlueskyEast Africa Food Crisis 2011
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Introduction
Into mid-2011, the world’s worst food crisis is being felt in East Africa, in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
Despite successive failed rains, the crisis has been criticized as avoidable and man-made. This is because the situation had been predicted many months before by an international early warning system. Both the international community and governments in the region have been accused of doing very little in the lead up to this crisis. In addition, high food prices have forced food out of the reach of many people, while conflict in Somalia has exacerbated the situation.
As the international organization Oxfam describes: 12 million people are in dire need of food, clean water, and basic sanitation. Loss of life on a massive scale is a very real risk, and the crisis is set to worsen over the coming months, particularly for pastoralist communities.
Early warning systems had predicted this months earlier
As Inter Press Service (IPS) reported, despite the conflicts in the region,
The world had an opportunity to save thousands of lives that are being lost in parts of Somalia due to the famine, if only the donor community had paid attention to the early warning systems that predicted it eight months ago.
…
There has been a catastrophic breakdown of the world's collective responsibility to act. 3,500 people a day are fleeing Somalia and arriving in parts of Ethiopia and Kenya that are suffering one of the driest years in six decades. Food, water and emergency aid are desperately needed. By the time the U.N. calls it a famine it is already a signal of large scale loss of life,Oxfam said.
Knowing about these things in advance is significant in terms of lives, costs and preparedness. The US government agency USAID’s Famine Early Warning System Network had predicted the crisis in November 2010, noting that
food security outcomes are likely to worsen, particularly among the poorest households whose coping capacity is the most limited.
In areas at‐risk of worsening food security, households may require livelihood support to prevent asset loss, household food deficits, and negative coping. Potential interventions in pastoral areas include rehabilitation of water points (boreholes), increased veterinary services targeting the dry season grazing areas, commercial off‐take programs, and nutrition support programs targeting poorer households. In the cropping southwest marginal areas of Kenya, and in Rwanda and Burundi, the scale‐up of resource transfer programs may be required to minimize the food security impacts of the La Niña event [that was observed at the end of 2010].
Massive funding shortfall — assuming anyone cares
As international humanitarian and development organization Oxfam explained, many (often simple) preventative actions could have been taken, assuming funds were available earlier:
Whenever there is an indicator of such a disaster, we must not only sit and wait for the emergency response. We can conveniently invest the funds by putting irrigation systems in place, vaccinating people, especially children, against anticipated diseases, and creating proper infrastructure to be used in case there is need for food supply,said [Anna Ridout, Oxfam’s spokesperson]
But, as Oxfam notes in another article, donors and governments fail to deliver on East Africa aid effort:
The overall humanitarian requirements for the region this year, according to the UN appeals, are $1.87 billion. These are so far 45 percent funded, leaving a gap of over $1 billion still remaining: gaps of $332m and $296m for the Kenya and Somalia UN appeals respectively, and $398m for the government-run appeal in Ethiopia
In the last two weeks there have been new pledges of $205m, leaving a gap of $800m still remaining.
The UK has pledged an estimated $145m in the past two weeks - almost 15 percent of what is needed. The EU has pledged around $8m so far, with more expected in the coming days. Spain has pledged nearly $10m, Germany around $8.5m. France has so far not pledged any new money, and Denmark and Italy have said no significant new sums are available.
But it is not just the international community. Various actors in the region also face criticism and question. For example, as the above IPS article had also noted, the effects of the drought were made worse by the Al Shabaab militia group in Somalia, which had blocked donor agencies from operating within its territories in 2009 — now the famine zones. Admittedly, the extremist group recently lifted its ban, as IPS also noted.
Another example is the governments of the affected countries as well as the African Union. Ugandan journalist, Rosebell Kagumire, writing for Oxfam, noted that the African Union had complained about lack of funds because governments have not put enough money in. Although Kenya opened its borders for an influx of Somalian refugees, Kagumire criticized the response as lacking urgency and not being effective.
One of the worst crises in recent history
The crisis is one of the worst in recent history:
Compared to previous famines, the current situation in Somalia compares or exceeds those reported during recent years in Niger (2005), Ethiopia (2001), Sudan (1998) and Somalia (1992). However, this is the most severe food security crisis in Africa since the 1991/92 Somalia famine, according to the U.N. Between January and June this year, 300,000 people in Mogadishu were given food assistance by humanitarian agencies on a monthly basis. Approximately 100,000 malnourished children were treated through some 418 nutrition centres in south Somalia from January to May 2011.
…
The current crisis in Somalia is expected to have an increasingly devastating effect on other countries in the region. However, generally, the Horn of Africa has 11.5 million people in crisis, including the 3.7 million in Somalia.
Media coverage
Somewhat predictably, media coverage seems spotty. At times there are detailed reports, often responding to government and other large international agency pushes to address the crises. Other times, the coverage vanishes from mainstream headlines and prime time viewing almost as soon as reporting has started.
On the morning of Sunday, July 31, during a review of British Sunday newspapers by the BBC, commentators noted how only one paper had a front page story about this crisis while almost all of them had something about a second Royal wedding. (It wasn’t necessarily ignoring Africa, either, as the also important story about the US debt crisis also barely featured on any papers headlines!)
And of course, most of the reporting has followed after the crisis has happened.
It is also interesting to note how quickly the international community
mobilized against Libya with military and other actions, when far less people (in number) were affected.
More information
For more about the issues from other organizations, here are some starting points:
- Detailed information from UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- Coverage from UN’s refugee agency
- Coverage from UNICEF
- Coverage from Oxfam, including a report on key recommendations for local governments and the international community.
- News coverage from allAfrica.com
News stories from IPS
Below is a list of stories from Inter Press Service as they cover this event. Revisit this page frequently to see newer stories as the crisis unfolds:
The Risk of Famine Looms Throughout Multiple Sudanese Counties
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 16 (IPS) - Over the course of 2025, the food security situation in Sudan has taken a considerable turn for the worst. Compounded by the Sudanese Civil War, millions of civilians face alarming levels of food insecurity and are at risk of experiencing famine. Humanitarian experts have described the situation in Sudan as being the worst hunger crisis in the world today.
Famine stalks two counties in South Sudan as fragile peace is threatened
- UN News
Two counties in the Upper Nile State of South Sudan are sliding into famine, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned in a new report released Thursday.
Sudan emergency: We need more help to prevent famine, says WFP
- UN News
The very real risk of famine continues to stalk Sudan’s communities impacted by war, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday, in an appeal for more funding to support immediate needs and boost longer-term recovery across the country.
Civilians Face Humanitarian Disaster in Great Lakes, Horn of Africa Conflicts
- Inter Press Service
KAMPALA, May 21 (IPS) - Political instability and conflicts in the Great Lakes, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, and South Sudan have led to massive displacements and civilian suffering, and because the whole region is in crisis, the civilian population has few places to find refuge.
Another year, another rise in food insecurity – including famine
- UN News
In July 2024, famine was detected in the Sudan’s Zamzam IDP camp. In the following months, the official alert expanded to other camps in Darfur and Western Nuba Mountains. From December until now, famine has been confirmed in five other areas of the war-torn country. A further 17 areas are at risk.
UN Warns of Exacerbated Famine and Malnutrition in Gaza
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, May 14 (IPS) - Since the dissolution of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in March, roughly 2 million Palestinians residing within the Gaza Strip have struggled to survive amid constant barrages of airstrikes from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and a persisting blockade on humanitarian aid. With essential border crossings in Gaza remaining closed, humanitarian organizations have expressed fear that the Palestinians within the enclave could experience exacerbated rates of famine and malnutrition.
UN alert over deepening crisis in Sudan as famine spreads and violence escalates
- UN News
The United Nations has warned that Sudan is sliding deeper into catastrophe, with growing famine and surging violence – particularly in North Darfur – driving mass displacement and an alarming rise in civilian deaths.
Millions displaced, health system in ruins as Sudan war fuels famine
- UN News
More than 12.4 million people have been forced from their homes across Sudan – including over 3.3 million refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries – as two years of civil war fuel famine, disease outbreaks and the collapse of the health system.
Science-Backed Solutions Buoying Water Security in East Africa
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Apr 09 (IPS) - In East Africa, climate change has made water a lifeline and threat.
Famine looms in Somalia without funding boost, WFP says
- UN News
“The time to step up is now” for the people of Somalia, where drought threatens 1.7 million young children at risk of acute malnutrition, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
Somalia faces escalating crisis amid drought, conflict and price hikes
- UN News
The humanitarian situation in Somalia is worsening as drought, conflict and soaring food prices push millions toward extreme hunger, UN agencies warned on Wednesday.
Blamed for Causing Droughts: Zimbabwe’s LGBTQI Community Faces Climate Crisis Head-on
- Inter Press Service
MUTARE, Zimbabwe, Feb 20 (IPS) - Wrongfully accused of
causing droughts,
a group of LGBTQI people in Zimbabwe involved themselves in climate-smart agriculture and are now showing the way to mitigate climate change in a country recently devastated by El Niño-induced drought.Takudzwa Saruwaka is hoeing weeds in a cowpea field in eastern Zimbabwe one morning in February, trying to beat torrential rains threatening from the gray clouds above.UN launches $6 billion Sudan appeal, as famine takes hold
- UN News
More than one in two people in war-torn Sudan have too little to eat, famine “is taking hold” and sexual violence is rife, the UN’s top aid official said on Monday, as the global body launched an appeal for $6 billion to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the devastated country and beyond.
World News in Brief: Sudan famine latest, weekend attacks in Ukraine, Tanzania Marburg virus update
- UN News
A UN aid convoy is on its way in southern Sudan to the strategically important city of Wad Madani, carrying food and nutrition supplies for families at risk of famine.
Sudan’s worsening famine: Conflict puts millions at risk
- UN News
Sudan is confronting a widening famine crisis, with widespread starvation, surging acute malnutrition and mass displacement exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation, a UN-backed food security assessment released on Tuesday has found.
UNCCD COP16 Spotlights Drought But Fails to Agree on a Legally Binding Protocol
- Inter Press Service
RIYADH & HYDERABAD, Dec 17 (IPS) - The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 16) concluded early hours of Saturday with a renewed focus on building drought resilience globally. However, the COP also failed to agree on bringing a legally binding drought protocol. Like the biodiversity and climate change COPs held earlier in the year, COP16 also failed to finish in time and ended by postponing several key decisions to COP17 scheduled to be held in 2026.
Charting a path for global action on land and drought
- UN News
The largest and most inclusive UN land conference wrapped up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, charting a path for global action following two weeks of intense negotiations on how best to tackle land degradation, desertification and drought, which affects one quarter of the world.
Intra-Regional Relations the Key To Sustainable Development in the Horn of Africa
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 13 (IPS) - The Horn of Africa holds the resources and potential for lasting development and resilience. The countries in the subregion and development partners need to come together to invest in regional cooperation and resource management.
Conservation Agriculture Transforming Farming in Southern Africa
- Inter Press Service
BULAWAYO, Dec 05 (IPS) - On the dusty plains of Shamva District in Zimbabwe, Wilfred Mudavanhu's maize field defies drought.
The ‘slow onset, silent killer’: Droughts explained
- UN News
Droughts across the world are intensifying and have become a “slow onset, silent killer” to which no country is immune, according to the UN’s most senior official working on desertification, drought and land restoration issues.
Sudan Ravaged By Disease, Famine, and War
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 25 (IPS) - As living conditions in Sudan deteriorate as a result of the Sudanese Civil War, levels of famine and violations of international humanitarian law continue to accelerate among the roughly 11.5 million displaced persons. Conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have severely hampered aid efforts, leaving millions of civilians to deal with widespread disease and an overall lack of essential resources.
Sudan Faces Esclations in Famine, Humanitarian Law Violations
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 13 (IPS) - After 19 months of conflict, the ongoing Sudanese Civil War continues to deteriorate living conditions for millions of Sudanese people. Intensive conflicts between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have greatly exacerbated nationwide levels of famine. Numerous civilians have been caught in the crossfire, leading to a rising death toll. Sexual violence and rape have been used as weapons of war, with thousands of cases going unreported due to a pervasive state of fear. Sudan has seen record numbers in displacement, becoming one of the biggest displacement crises in the world.
Middle East crisis: Live updates from Gaza, Lebanon and the Security Council, as famine looms
- UN News
We are covering the ongoing crisis in the Middle East with live updates from UN Headquarters and the field, as the Security Council prepares to hold an emergency session on the "imminent and substantial likelihood of famine" in Gaza. UN News app users can follow the live feed here.
‘Looming catastrophe’: Experts warn of high risk of famine in northern Gaza
- UN News
There is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas within the northern Gaza Strip, food security experts said on Friday.
Looming famine in Rakhine signals wider crisis in Myanmar
- UN News
Up to two million people in Myanmar’s Rakhine state face the dire prospect of famine, amid a broader economic collapse and worsening humanitarian crisis triggered by the military’s 2021 overthrow of the democratically elected government.
First famine, now cholera and dengue fever surge hits war-torn Sudan
- UN News
War in Sudan has devastated towns and cities across the country and pushed the healthcare system to collapse, just as cases of cholera and dengue fever are surging and hunger levels remain “above the famine threshold”, humanitarians have warned.
A Triple Planetary Crisis Scarring Africa’s Landscapes
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 30 (IPS) - Some of the creeping impacts of this triple crisis are possibly the most debilitating: Africa is the most severely impacted region by desertification and land degradation, with approximately 45% of its land area affected. In the Horn of Africa and the Sahel alone, it imposes food shortages on more than 23 million people. Just last month, more than 700,000 people were affected by floods in Central and West Africa, and tens of millions in southern Africa are facing drought.
World News in Brief: ‘Historic drought’ in southern Africa, human rights in Tunisia, accountability essential for Pakistan mineworker killings
- UN News
Nearly six and a half million people in southern Africa are starving because of an “historic drought” linked to last year’s El Niño, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
Tanzania’s Maasai Women Adopt Climate-Smart Solutions To Tame Drought
- Inter Press Service
MVOMERO, Tanzania, Sep 24 (IPS) - In the scorching sun of Mikese village in Tanzania's eastern Mvomero district, 31-year-old Maria Naeku tirelessly tends to her small vegetable patch. Each time she pulls a weed, the red soil stains her hands as she guides the trickle of water from a maze of pipes through an elevated bed to nurture her plants. In a drought-stricken area, Naeku's small garden is a lifeline for her family, giving them food and income.
UN deputy chief appeals for global solidarity as crises roil East Africa
- UN News
Spotlighting crises roiling parts of eastern Africa, the UN deputy chief concluded a regional visit in Adré, Chad, on Friday, calling for global solidarity to tackle famine in Sudan, flooding and mass displacement while ensuring free-flowing aid for millions trapped in war zones and those fleeing for their lives.
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