20+ Million People Threatened by Starvation and Famine in 4 Countries

Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria face major humanitarian crisis —UN

Excerpts from UN humanitarian chief’s statement to the Security Council on 10 March 2017:

Yemen

It’s already the largest humanitarian crisis in the world and the Yemeni people now face the specter of famine. Today, two-thirds of the population – 18.8 million people – need assistance and more than 7 million are hungry and do not know where there next meal will come from. That is 3 million people more than in January. As fighting continues and escalates, displacement increases. With health facilities destroyed and damaged, diseases are sweeping through the country.

South Sudan

The famine in South Sudan is man-made. Parties to the conflict are parties to the famine – as are those not intervening to make the violence stop.  More than 7.5 million people need assistance, up by 1.4 million from last year. About 3.4 million people are displaced, of which almost 200,000 have fled South Sudan since January alone. A localized famine was declared for Leer and Mayendit [counties] on 20 February, an area where violence and insecurity have compromised humanitarian access for years. More than one million children are estimated to be acutely malnourished across the country; including 270,000 children who face the imminent risk of death should they not be reached in time with assistance. Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak that began in June 2016 has spread to more locations.

Somalia

In Somalia, more than half the population – 6.2 million people – need humanitarian and protection assistance, including 2.9 million who are at risk of famine and require immediate assistance to save or sustain their lives, close to 1 million children under the age of 5 will be acutely malnourished this year. In the last two months alone, nearly 160,000 people have been displaced due to severe drought conditions, adding to the already 1.1 million people who live in appalling conditions around the country.

Nigeria and the Lake Chad region

10.7 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection, including 7.1 million people who are severely food insecure. Humanitarian partners scaled up their response to reach the most vulnerable groups threatened by violence, food insecurity and famine, particularly in North-Eastern Nigeria.

Kenya

Over 2.7 million Kenyans are now food insecure, a number likely to reach 4 million by April.

About 1.4 Million Kids at ‘Imminent Risk of Death’ amid Looming Famine

Famine looms in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen – UNICEF

Almost 1.4 million children are at imminent risk of death from severe acute malnutrition this year, as famine looms in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, UNICEF said today.

“Time is running out for more than a million children,” said UNICEF Executive Director. “We can still save many lives. The severe malnutrition and looming famine are largely man-made. Our common humanity demands faster action. We must not repeat the tragedy of the 2011 famine in the Horn of Africa.”

• In northeast Nigeria, up to 450,000 children face severe acute malnutrition is expected this year in the conflict-affected states.
• In Somalia, drought conditions are threatening an already fragile population battered by decades of conflict. Almost half the population, or 6.2 million people, are facing acute food insecurity and in need of humanitarian assistance. Up to 270,000 children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. 
• In South Sudan over 270,000 children are severely malnourished amid conflict, poverty and insecurity. The total number of food insecure people across the country is expected to rise from 4.9 million to 5.5 million at the height of the lean season in July… 
• In Yemen 462,000 children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition – a nearly 200 per cent increase since 2014.

The report comes just a day after famine was declared in parts of Unity state in southern South Sudan, where 20,000 children live.

Global Disasters – June 11, 2016

6.5 Million people (39 percent of Malawi’s projected population) likely to be food insecure in 2016/17

At least 6.5 million people, or 39 percent of the country’s projected population of 16.8 million, will not be able to meet their annual food requirements during the 2016/17 consumption period, according to The Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, through the  Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC).

This represents an increase of 129 percent compared with the corresponding figure of 2.8 million people for the 2015/16 consumption period. In order to ensure that the affected people survive up to the next harvest period without disrupting their socioeconomic livelihoods, the total humanitarian food assistance that is required is estimated at the equivalent of 493,000 metric tonnes of maize, with an estimated cash value of MK148 billion. However, the estimated humanitarian food assistance declines to the equivalent of 375,000 metric tonnes of maize if we adjust for the fact that some of the affected people may sell their assets in order to acquire food.

“The food shortage is largely a result of the El Nino climatic episode experienced across the country during the 2015/16 agricultural reason,” the government said.

The MVAC figures stated above relate to the total food requirement for the vulnerable population only. This is lower than the maize consumption deficit of 790,000 metric tonnes affecting 8.4 million people, as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development based on the Second Round Crop Estimates released in April 2016. The main difference between the two sets of figures arises from the fact that part of the maize consumption deficit relates to the consumption needs of those who can afford to procure it on the market, if available, without the need for humanitarian support. The MVAC figures exclude such consumption needs which are, nevertheless, a significant part of the Government’s overall intervention plans.

Iraq

More than 3.3 million Iraqis, or about 10 per cent of the population, have been displaced due to acts of violence perpetrated by the Saudi-backed Wahhabi terrorists (ISIL) since the start of 2014.

At least 500,000 people fled Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, when terrorists stormed the city in June 2014. Many have been displaced multiple times, and most face extreme hardship.

South Sudan

More than 2.4 million people have been displaced since fighting broke out in Juba in December 2013. This includes 720,394 people who have crossed into neighboring countries. Six Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites are currently sheltering 169,983 internally displaced people (IDPs): 98,653 in Bentiu; 40,448 in Malakal; 27,959 in Juba; 2,004 in Bor; 700 in Melut; and, 219 in Wau, said the UN Mission in South Sudan.

Somalia

Extreme rain events in the upper part of the Ethiopian highlands have caused river Shabelle to overflow. The flood waters have destroyed crops and that fields remain inaccessible.

“The flood has destroyed almost everything. The majority of the community here operates a small business in a local market. They could no longer work as the place is submerged with water. We do hope in a month’s time it will dry up and we can start rebuilding our lives,” said a local elder.

[District of] Beletweyne hosts 31,000 displaced people, the majority of whom have fled conflict in the neighboring districts of Jalalqsi and Bulle Burte. The residents who live in a low-lying areas have moved to higher ground in El Jaale, five kilometres from Beletweyne.

“This flooding is the worst in years. It covered most of the town and surroundings. As the people move to higher grounds, they are in need of everything. The ICRC is providing food and other basic items, clean water and health care to the most affected communities. This will enable them to hold on as they start to rebuild their homes,” said the region’s field coordinator for the ICRC in Somalia.

 

300,000 Children in Somalia Suffering from Malnutrition

Ongoing drought causing acute food insecurity in Somalia

Four successive seasons of below-average rains in parts of Somaliland and a below-average Deyr rainy season in Puntland have lead to severe drought.

The drought, exacerbated by El Niño conditions, has spread through Puntland and Somaliland, affecting hundreds of thousands of people, and compounding an already challenging humanitarian situation in the region. An estimated 385,000 people face acute food insecurity in Somaliland and Puntland, with an additional 1.3 million people threatened by acute food insecurity if they do not receive assistance. (OCHA)

About 300,000 children in Somalia are suffering from malnutrition, with 60,000 under the age of five being in critical condition and in need of urgent therapeutic feeding, said reports.

Conflict and drought: Major drivers of acute food insecurity in East Africa

South Sudan

Conflict areas in Greater Upper Nile in South Sudan remain in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity through the spring and summer.

“Some smaller populations in central Unity State are expected to be facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Areas in Greater Bahr El Ghazal and Greater Equatoria that were less directly impacted by the Government and Opposition conflict are seeing their food security threatened by very high staple food prices, brought on by restricted trade and the depreciation of the South Sudanese Pound, in addition to sporadic violence/clashes.

Ethiopia

“In Ethiopia, Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes continue in agricultural and agropastoral eastern areas of Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and SNNPR Regions, as well as in pastoral areas of Afar Region and Sitti Zone in the Somali Region. Following the 2015 El Niño-related drought, there has been a slow start to 2016 rains across much of central and eastern Ethiopia. More than 10 million people in central and eastern Ethiopia will be in need of emergency food assistance this year.”

Darfur – Sudan

“Conflict in has displaced approximately 130,000 people since January.Restricted access to humanitarian assistance, markets, and labor opportunities in Central and South Darfur and SPLM-N-controlled areas of South Kordofan is contributing to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes for many where availability of and access to food is extremely limited.

Yemen

Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity outcomes are expected to continue in most areas through September 2016 and beyond.

“Protracted conflict since early 2015 has contributed to eroding livelihoods and restricting market access for many. Household purchasing power will remain weak due to atypically high food prices and livelihood disruptions. While many households will attempt to cope by selling assets and reducing the quantity and diversity of meals, these efforts are not expected to enable households to meet basic food needs.” [http://www.fews.net/]

 

 

3.7 Million Somalis in Urgent Need of Humanitarian Aid

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,202 Days Left 

[November 26, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,202 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Somalia: Humanitarian Disaster

More than a million Somali refugees are currently hosted in Kenya, Yemen, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Tanzania and Uganda, and about 1.36 million others internally displaced, settled mainly in the South-Central region, UNHCR reported.

‘Somalia is the most affected country within the Horn of Africa by the ongoing drought, widely regarded as the worst in 60 years. Consecutive seasonal rain failures have led to sky-rocketing food prices, in a country already devastated by two decades of civil war,’ said the report.

• Somali people are facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today.
• Somalia is generating the third highest number of refugees in the world, after Afghanistan and Iraq.
• One in three Somalis is in urgent need of humanitarian help.
• One in every three children living in the South-Central region is malnourished.
• More than 66,000 Somalis have sought refuge in neighboring countries so far this year.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Disaster Calendar 2011: Famine Spreads in Somalia

The following is from the August 4 entry in the 2011 Disaster Calendar

[August 4, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,686 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

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Somali famine spreads to 3 new regions

Death rates and acute malnutrition levels have surpassed famine thresholds in the Balcad and Cadale districts of Middle Shabelle, and among the refugee populations in Mogadishu and the Afgoye corridor:  U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization

The worst drought in decades has affected about 12 million people across the Horn of Africa leaving 3.6 million people at risk of starvation in southern Somalia.

About 30,000 children under the age of 5 have died from starvation in the last 3 months in southern Somalia alone, according to the US government. Some 640,000 Somali children are currently acutely malnourished, the UN said, and the death toll is rising.

Related Links

• Somalia Drought: Mega Disaster Threatens 2.4m People

• A Most Powerful Mechanism of Collapse Posted by edro on November 4, 2008
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• Nature’s Warnings Exponentially Intensifying  Posted by edro on April 14, 2011
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August

Food Riots Break Out in Bangladesh and Kenya

See Main Entry: We Need Food!