Horn of Africa regional ministers call for coordination to deal with food insecurity

The East African bloc IGAD, aid groups, and development partners have called for greater coordination to fight growing hunger in the region.

An estimated 51 million people across East Africa are in dire need of food, water and medicine.

Ministers from the eight nations of IGAD — the Intergovernmental Authority on Development — met in Nairobi this week to find ways to deal with the general humanitarian crisis in the region.

The World Food Program’s regional director for Eastern Africa, Michael Dunford, said urgent action is needed

“As indicated, we are in crisis and it’s not just a food crisis, it’s a water crisis, it’s an education crisis, it’s a livelihood crisis, it’s a nutrition crisis,” he said. “And over the last couple of days, we have had many words spoken but now we need to turn these words into actions, to respond to the needs of the population across the Horn of Africa.”

The WFP says its annual needs for the region have climbed from $4.3 billion to $6 billion and, despite getting some donations, it has yet to close the gap.

Somalia is one of the countries most affected by the drought, with more than seven million people who are food insecure, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.

In Ethiopia and Kenya, at least 23 million people are food insecure and, in Ethiopia, conflict in the Tigray region has worsened the humanitarian situation.