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East Africa Regional Food Security & Nutrition Update (November 2019)

Countries
Ethiopia
+ 9 more
Sources
WFP
Publication date
Origin
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Key messages

  • 18.7 million people across the region are food insecure (IPC Phase 3 and above), which is a deterioration when compared to the level of 16.9 million in October 2018

  • These include 12.5 million who are food insecure in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Uganda. The main driver is below-average rainfall from the end of 2018 until the current rainy season

  • More than two million people across South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are currently facing severe floods, which is likely to worsen food insecurity in the affected areas, further exacerbating the overall situation.

Situation Update

In total, 18.7 million people are facing food insecurity requiring humanitarian assistance and the numbers are particularly high in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya, and Somalia. Of these, three million people are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). Especially arid and semi-arid lands, areas with ongoing and protracted conflict as well as countries with poor macro-economic conditions are facing severe food insecurity. Furthermore, acute malnutrition levels continue to be high across the region with no signs of sustainable reduction.

Currently more than two million people across South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are affected by heavy floods, which are especially affecting already vulnerable groups including women and children. The immediate consequences include causalities, displacement, loss of livelihoods, outbreak of livestock diseases, crop losses, upsurge of waterborne diseases, and damaged infrastructure negatively affecting the access to basic services. This is expected to severely exacerbate the food security and nutrition situation in the affected areas until the end of the year.