Hunger Crisis in East Africa
I want to try hard to get the world to pay attention to the situation here. The world’s attention is wholly focused on Ukraine, which is a terrible crisis, and I’ve been to both places, but the suffering I’ve seen here has no equal.”
Martin Griffiths, Former UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
5-min read: How one of the largest hunger crises of the decade came about, and what you can do to help.
You may not have even heard about the devastating crisis unfolding in parts of East Africa because it's barely making the headlines here in the UK. Nearly 55 million people across parts of Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia – that’s roughly 80% of the UK’s population – are facing malnutrition and starvation. This crisis isn’t some unavoidable event. It’s the result of a complex mix of issues that have been building up over time.
Netsanet's story
In Ethiopia, Netsanet, a hairdresser from Tigray, had a thriving business before conflict shattered her life. But everything was lost when she was forced to flee with her young daughter.
Watch her story below.
After I met REST, there was good improvement. We received money in two payments, which we used for urgent supplies. Even though it wasn’t sufficient for all, we shared food, and what we had together. I couldn’t bear to see my child eat while others slept without food.”
Netsanet, Tigray, Ethiopia
What's happening across East Africa?
Sudan
- Sudan was colonised by Britain and Egypt from 1899 to 1956, which caused divisions between the north and south. These differences led to conflicts after independence and the eventual separation of South Sudan in 2011.
- In mid-2023, conflict erupted in Sudan between the government and paramilitary groups. The conflict has displaced millions, destroyed infrastructure, and cut off access to food, water, and resources.
- The UN estimates 55 million people in Sudan urgently need aid, with five regions facing famine.
- Around 3 million of the 12 million displaced have fled to neighbouring countries, including South Sudan, Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR), Ethiopia, and Libya.
- Sudan is also facing severe climate impacts, including frequent droughts and floods.
South Sudan
- South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 and is the world's newest country.
- Civil war broke out initially in 2013. Climate change has made the situation worse. After years of conflict, a ceasefire was negotiated in 2018.
- Inflation hit 800% during the conflict, making it impossible for many people to buy food.
- Since the fighting in neighbouring Sudan escalated in 2023, nearly a million Sudanese refugees have crossed into South Sudan.
- South Sudan has vast oil reserves, yet most people rely on subsistence farming and herding for their livelihood.
Ethiopia
- Ethiopia has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. But the benefits of this growth have not been equally shared among the country’s 100 million people.
- Most Ethiopians in rural areas rely on rain-fed agriculture, but climate change, lack of investment, and conflict in some regions have severely impacted their livelihoods.
- Climate change, drought, conflict, and desert locusts have hit food production hard, leaving 20.4 million people in need of humanitarian aid.
Kenya
- Kenya has East Africa’s largest economy, but because of a lack of investment, it also faces poverty and inequality.
- Around 95% of people in northern pastoralist areas live below the poverty line.
- Kenya is growing fast, with half of the population expected to live in cities by 2050. This creates a lot of challenges, especially for the 34% of the 17 million poor people living in informal settlements.
Somalia
- Somalia is dealing with ongoing armed conflict in parts of the country.
- Climate change has caused more frequent and severe droughts which have forced people from their home and devastated livestock, which are a large part of Somalia’s economy.
- Out of 11 million people, 2.6 million have been displaced.
- 5.4 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
This crisis is a perfect storm
Climate change
Climate change, caused by years of pollution from wealthy nations, has had catastrophic effects in East Africa, including Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. These countries face more frequent and intense floods and droughts, which devastate people’s homes, crops, and the infrastructure.
Conflict
Many factors contribute to conflict across East Africa. For example, competition over decreasing resources, ethnic and religious tensions, the presence of armed groups, and historical debt to rich, western nations. Local communities pay the price, often facing violence, displacement, and the loss of everything they rely on for survival.
Cost of living crisis
Just like in the UK, where food prices are rising and supply chains are struggling, East African countries rely on food imports like grain from Ukraine. With prices skyrocketing, millions already facing poverty and hunger are finding it even harder to survive.
Colonialism
Colonialism may seem like history, but richer countries still benefit from it today. In 2023, $921 billion was taken from southern countries, four times the amount spent on aid. Many nations lack resources to face challenges like climate change and food shortages. In South Sudan, for example, despite having rich oil resources, most people depend on farming and herding but they don’t have the resources to diversify.
Whose Fault Is This?
This crisis is complex, with no single cause. It’s the result of many years of failure to address the root issues.
Rich Countries: They have caused most of the climate change through pollution, while people in East Africa – who contributed the least – suffer the most.
Colonial powers: Colonialism created unfair borders and systems that led to conflict and instability. Our report shows how modern-day colonialism is still alive today.
Global Corporations: Big oil, gas, and mining companies profit by stripping resources from local communities, damaging the environment, displacing people, and fueling conflict. This makes life even harder for those already struggling.
Etsay's story
Etsay in Mekoni, a Southern district of Ethiopia, is a farmer, a mother, and now a driving force of recovery in her community.
I wanted to be a voice for my community. I wanted to stand up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves.”
Etsay, Mekoni, Southern Ethiopia
Etsay at a community meeting to support women to better cope with crisis, Mekoni, Ethiopia. Credit: Petterik Wiggers/Oxfam.
Oxfam partners
We are working with organisations in the area, including LM International in South Sudan, The Relief Society of Tigray (REST), and Mums for Mums in Ethiopia. Together, we are providing emergency food, clean water, sanitation, and other vital services.
In South Sudan and neighbouring countries
- We have seven humanitarian bases as well as a deployable team that can respond to other locations as needed.
- Oxfam and partners are operating in Renk, on the border of Sudan and South Sudan, providing emergency support to over 90,000 people. The camp, which is now three times its capacity, receives 500-1000 new refugees daily. The increasing need for clean water and sanitation raises the risk of disease, with over 500 confirmed cholera cases.
We focus on:
- Clean water and sanitation: Supporting communities to manage their own services, including drilling and repairing wells, treating water, and training locals to maintain water supplies.
- Hygiene promotion: Equipping communities to dig latrines, build hand-washing stations, and distribute hygiene kits.
- Disease prevention: Raising awareness of waterborne diseases through home visits and community-led public discussions.
- Backing small businesses: Helping farmers buy livestock, grow food, and create small businesses through savings schemes, training, and tools.
How you can help
Right now, a hunger crisis on an unimaginable scale is unfolding. Nearly 55 million people across parts of Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia – that’s roughly 80% of the UK’s population – are facing malnutrition and starvation.
So many of these communities are forced to rely on aid to survive, but with both the US and UK cutting humanitarian aid, the situation will deteriorate. Yet, despite the scale of this catastrophe, it is barely making the news. The crisis needs urgent attention, funding, and action from all of us in this global community.
Your support means more than ever right now.
A gift from you can support communities to access clean water and emergency food. It can help people recover from malnutrition and build resilience to future crises.
Support our work in East Africa and around the world