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Horn of Africa: Humanitarian Impacts of Drought – Issue 9 (10 Aug 2017)

Countries
Somalia
+ 4 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Food Security

The number of severely food insecure people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia has increased to 14.3 million, following the publication of new data on the situation in Kenya.

In Kenya, the Long Rains Assessment found that food security is likely to deteriorate, with 500,000 people now classified to be in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). Overall, the number of food insecure people has risen from 2.6 million (0.4m in IPC Phase 2 and 2.2m in IP Phase 3) in August 2016 to 3.4 million as of August 2017 (0.8m in IPC Phase 2, 2.1m in IPC Phase 3, and 0.5m in IPC Phase 4), with the number of severely food insecure (IPC Phases 3 and 4) rising from 2.2 million to 2.6 million. In Somalia, the situation remains as indicated in the 2017 Post Gu Assessment, with the risk of famine persisting and the Northern Inland Pastoral, Hawd Pastoral, and Addun Pastoral areas expected to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) food insecurity until January 2018. In Ethiopia, the Somali region remains worst-affected, with Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity widespread. Relief food needs in the region have already surpassed initial targets by 20 per cent. Nationwide, the mid-year multi agency assessment identified 8.5 million beneficiaries in need of emergency food assistance in the second half of the year (August- December 2017) – up from 5.6 million people identified in January 2017.

Malnutrition

Across the region, 5.4 million children are projected to be acutely malnourished this year.

In Ethiopia, Somali region’s SAM admissions account for 25 per cent of the national SAM caseload with 34,978 SAM admissions registered in the region between January and May 2017. Meanwhile, the number of hotspot Priority 1 districts (requiring immediate life-saving intervention) increased to 228 in June, up from 192 in December 2016, which represents nearly half of the overall hotspots identified (461 districts). This indicates a return to levels not seen since the height of the El Niño drought impacts in 2016. In Kenya, the Long Rains Assessment estimates that there are now 420,680 acutely malnourished children, the vast majority (369,280) of whom are in the Arid and Semi-Arad Lands (ASAL) areas. 37,000 out of 39,000 pregnant and lactating women estimated to be acutely malnourished, are in the ASAL areas. In Somalia, 1.4 million children are projected to be malnourished in 2017, with Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates in some areas remaining between 15 per cent and 30 per cent. 9 out of 12 displacement sites reporting a critical nutrition situation (GAM (WHZ) prevalence of 15 per cent or higher) according to the FSNAU survey conducted in June 2017.

Displacement

Drought and conflict have now displaced 3.7 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya: 2.3 million of whom are internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 1.4 million refugees.

325 Somali refugees arrived in Ethiopia between 1 and 15 July 2017 (88 per cent women and children), increasing the total number of arrivals from Somalia in 2017 to 6,256 people. A WFP announcement about refugee food ration cuts after July triggered a violent protest in Sherkole camp hosting some 11,555 Sudanese and South Sudanese refugees. Some 379,376 South Sudanese refugees are hosted in Ethiopia, including 36,691 that arrived between 1 and 15 July. Inside Somalia, 16,000 people arrived in the Baidoa region in June - a significant increase from the 4,700 in May. Arrivals in Mogadishu, on the other hand, decreased in June with 650 new arrivals compared to 9,100 in May. 11,200 Somalis reportedly returned to their villages of origin in June. In Kenya, a joint contingency plan developed by the government and humanitarian partners projects that some 220,000 people may potentially be internally displaced in the event of election-related violence.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.