Ethiopia and Somalia are among 20 countries on the International Rescue Committee’s emergency watchlist for 2022. Richard Crothers is the IRC country director for Somalia. He said the humanitarian situation in the two countries is not good. “The Horn of Africa has been on the verge of crisis for some time. There have been several failed consecutive rainy seasons. We have a situation right now where we are having a significant amount of food insecurity, human displacement,” he said. The IRC says the lack of rainfall has led to the driest conditions in 40 years in parts of Somalia and Ethiopia. Aid agencies in Ethiopia and Somalia say food prices have gone up and some people cannot afford basic food to feed their families. The IRC says it has launched a response in Ethiopia’s Somali region, and says more money is needed to scale up humanitarian assistance in other areas. The agencies call for more funding to support cash assistance, food, water and sanitation facilities to combat health challenges.
SOURCE: VOA