The Ethiopian Drought, one of the worst droughts in modern history, has impaired the lives of millions of people. By the end of May 2008, two consecutive poor rain seasons caused Ethiopia provoked a major drought in Ethiopia, leading millions to face hunger. The drought season heightened due to El Niño; in 2015, north and central Ethiopia suffered their worst drought, affecting 10 million citizens and resulting in 8 million needing emergency food aid. Since the drought in 2015, Ethiopia has continued to face several, grave droughts. The droughts have had a significant impact in the northern Tigray region in which authorities say that 91% of the population are exposed to starvation and death due to the destructive droughts.
Said droughts perpetuated tensions between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government, augmenting humanitarian needs and risks to northern Ethiopians. In November 2020, civilian structures in Tigray were destroyed by the Ethiopian federal forces. This attack coerced over two million people to flee their homes and left over 2.3 million in need of aid. Episodic fighting continued until November 2022 in which a peace deal between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF was established. However, this did not eliminate the lack of humanitarian aid for those residing in Ethiopia. As of 2023, 28.6 million face food insecurity as a result of the drought and tensions between the two groups. It’s estimated that this number will continue to rise, inducing catastrophic conditions on millions more, especially due to the lack of rain. Furthermore, the lack of safe drinking water has contributed to a cholera outbreak, a disease that has been especially cataclysmic due to the weakened immune systems of those in Ethiopia as a result of the lack of food and nutrients.
The United Nations has played an imperative role in mitigating the damage from the drought and war. Since early December of 2022, the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) has delivered food to over 1.2 million people across Tigray and other regions across Ethiopia. In addition, the UNWFP has stated they aim to provide food assistance to 40% of the 7.2 million who have high levels of acute food insecurity. However, the UNWFP has only received 26% of funding required to reach said people. As a result, contributions have slowed since the end of April 2024, leading to a rise in malnutrition rates.
Thus, it is imperative that we spread awareness about this topic and continue providing humanitarian assistance, aiding those whose lives have been destroyed by this drought.
Works Cited
Arriaza, Miguel, “Severe drought parches Bolivia. ‘My biggest fear is running out of food and water,”’ Climate, El País, 18 Oct. 2023, https://english.elpais.com/climate/2023-10-18/severe-drought-parches-bolivia-my-biggest-fear-is-running-out-of-food-and-water.html. Accessed 20 May 2024.
“Crisis in Ethiopia: Drought and conflict put 28 million in need,” Watchlist 2023, Rescue.org, 1 Mar. 2023, https://www.rescue.org/article/crisis-ethiopia-drought-and-conflict-put-28-million-need. Accessed 21 May 2024.
“Drought In Ethiopia: 10 Million People In Need,” News, United Nations, https://www.un.org/africarenewal/news/drought-ethiopia-10-million-people-need. Accessed 20 May 2024.
“Ethiopia drought, 2015 - a livelihood crisis,” World Weather Attribution, 24 Jul. 2015, https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/ethiopia-drought-2015/. Accessed 21 May 2024.
“Ethiopia’s tigray region on brink of famine amidst conflict and climate crisis,” News, Africanews, 3 Aug. 2021, https://www.africanews.com/2024/03/08/ethiopias-tigray-region-on-brink-of-famine-amidst-conflict-and-climate-crisis//. Accessed 20 May 2024.
Miller, Sarah, “Scars of War and Deprivation: An Urgent Call to Reverse Tigray’s Humanitarian Crisis,” Refugees International, 29 Feb. 2024, https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/scars-of-war-and-deprivation-an-urgent-call-to-reverse-tigrays-humanitarian-crisis/.Accessed 20 May 2024.
Mlaba, Khyani, “Water Scarcity in Africa: Everything You Need to Know,” Defeat Poverty, Global Citizen, 1 Feb. 2022. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/water-scarcity-in-africa-explainer-what-to-know/. Accessed 20 May 2024.
Omer, Sevil, “Northern Ethiopia crisis: Facts, FAQs, and how to help,” From the Field, World Vision, 14 Dec. 2023, https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/ethiopia-tigray-conflict-facts. Accessed 20 May 2024.
Reid, Kathryn, “1980’s Ethiopia Famine: Facts, what's changed, how to help,” From the Field, World Vision, 3 Feb. 2023. https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/1980s-ethiopia-famine-facts. Accessed 21 May 2024.
“Spotlight on Ethiopia’s Drought,” Gro Intelligence, 26 Nov. 2015, https://www.gro-intelligence.com/insights/spotlight-on-ethiopia-drought. Accessed 21 May 2024.
“UN raises over $600 mln to boost aid to Ethiopia,” Africa, Reuters, 16 Apr. 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/un-seeks-raise-1-billion-boost-aid-ethiopia-2024-04-16/. Accessed 21 May 2024.
Comments