NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A new report says an estimated 43,000 people died amid Somalia’s longest drought on record last year and half of them likely were children under 5 years old. It is the first official death toll announced in the drought withering large parts of the Horn of Africa. At least 18,000 people, and as...
By Medihane Ekubamichael Addis Abeba – The impact of the recurring drought in Dawa zone of Somali region has become unprecedented, leaving a staggering number of people severely affected, animals perished, rivers dried up and reports of people dying from hunger are starting to emerge. Residents say pastoral communities in four districts of the zone namely...
As the Horn of Africa enters its sixth consecutive rainy season with no rain, displacement continues to climb as millions from Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya struggle to survive amid scarce water sources, hunger, insecurity and conflict. With no immediate end in sight to one of the longest and most severe droughts on record, UNHCR, the...
Abdi Dahir Shide, 48, picked up farming tools for the first time to earn a living for his family after losing his entire herd of 200 goats to the drought towards the end of last year. He is working on a two-hectare farm in Salbay, 12 kilometres from Luq, after migrating with his family to...
By Ayenat Mersie DADAAB, Kenya, (Reuters) – When her three-month-old baby fell sick from malnutrition, Dool Abdirahman Ismael left her village in Somalia and walked for three days through swirling dust and scorching heat to the Dadaab Refugee Camp just across the border in Kenya. Ismael, 26, said she had hoped Dadaab would be free of...
Nairobi (AFP) – US First Lady Jill Biden on Sunday visited drought-affected communities in Kenya and appealed for wealthy nations to give more as the Horn of Africa suffers its driest conditions in decades. Biden concluded her two-nation tour of Africa by calling for a greater spotlight on the record-breaking drought which threatens 22 million people...
US First Lady Jill Biden arrived in Kenya on Friday, kicking off a visit aimed at focusing attention on the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in decades. Five straight seasons of poor rainfall have killed millions of livestock, destroyed crops and left some 22 million people at risk of hunger in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, with...
The United Nations humanitarian partners in Somalia and its government on Wednesday sought $2.6 billion to assist millions of people in the drought-hit Horn of Africa country. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimated that 8.25 million people — nearly half of Somalia’s population need “immediate” lifesaving humanitarian and protection assistance. With...
Somali Region, – “Due to the drought, I lost all my livestock and was forced to move here with my family,” says Halimo, a displaced mother of nine. “We survived, but we have lost our livelihoods in the process.” Like many other people faced with the harsh realities of the drought, Halimo and her family had...
JOHANNESBURG, Conflicts and military coups continued to haunt the African continent in 2022. But there were some accomplishments by several countries aimed at strengthening democracy on the continent. On Jan 24, military leaders in Burkina Faso ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and replaced him with Lieut. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. The 41-year-old soldier trained...