Drought leaves Ethiopians starving, livestock dying

According to Jilo Wile, a local government official, more than 100 local inhabitants are in severe conditions in hospitals due to starvation as a result of drought.

The cattle in the southern Ethiopian town of Kura Kalicha are dying after three years of no rain. Scavengers dig through the flesh of dozens of rotting livestock corpses that lay on the dry land.

“This number includes children, elderly people, and pregnant women,” Jilo, who has lost 73 of his 75 cows to famine, said.

Southern Ethiopia, like its neighbours Somalia and Kenya, is experiencing the worst drought in decades in the Horn of Africa. Five straight rainy seasons have failed, and the current one is anticipated to fail as well, causing relief organisations to warn that additional assistance is required to avert a humanitarian disaster.

According to the United Nations, about 12 million people, or one-tenth of the population, are expected to be food insecure in Ethiopia’s drought-affected regions. Food insecurity is defined as a lack of regular access to the safe and nutritious food required for growth, development, and everyday living.

Somalia has been affected the worst, with the drought taking an estimated 43,000 deaths last year but falling short of the famine expected by many relief workers.

There have been no deaths directly related to the drought in the Oromiya area, where Kura Kalicha is situated, or the nearby drought-affected regions of Ethiopia, but humanitarian workers anticipate that this will not be the case for long.

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“As a community, they have run out of coping mechanisms,” said Kate Maldonado of the international humanitarian organisation Mercy Corps, who recently visited the Somali area of southern Ethiopia.

Much of southern Ethiopia’s lowland population depends heavily on cattle, with basic grains like maize supplementing meals.

Locals claim that the assistance provided has been minimal and sluggish to arrive. Ethiopia’s federal government published a statement last month stating that they were collaborating with relief agencies to assist individuals in need.

A federal government representative did not reply to a request for comment. Hailu Aduga, a spokeswoman for the Oromiya regional administration, said officials responded quickly.

“Given the number of people in need, the aid is insufficient.” But we’ve been working hard to prevent any loss of life,” he told journalists.

Everyone agrees that the given resources are insufficient. Ethiopia got just half of the $3.34 billion needed for humanitarian needs last year, including the drought and the repercussions from the two-year conflict in Tigray’s northern region, which concluded in November after tens of thousands of dead.

“We will not be able to prevent the looming hunger crisis from affecting children, girls, and their families unless we increase our assistance,” said Mudasser Siddiqui, country director for Plan International, a child rights group.

Jilo Guracha, a 40-year-old mother of seven, trekked 85 km (53 miles) in hot weather to reach a camp where she and two of her boys could get food rations.

The Dubuluk district camp, which was established a year ago on an empty field, currently houses 53,000 people who live in little shelters made of grass and old plastic bags.

“Some are committing suicide because they are unable to provide for their families,” she said. “We beg the government to save us from starvation until God sends rain.”