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Drought Leads to Severe Food Shortages in Horn of Africa

By lborkowski on June 29, 2011.

Hui Min Neo reports for AFP that 10 million people in the Horn of Africa are affected by the region's worst drought in 60 years. Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda are suffering severe food shortages, and malnutrition rates are rising.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that tens of thousands of Somalis - who are facing armed conflicts as well as drought and soaring food prices - have fled to Kenya and Ethiopia. But Kenya and Ethiopia have also been experiencing poor rainfall and are facing rising high food prices and increased water shortages. OCHA reports that the reduction in household food reserves has led to an increasing rate of school dropouts, and that the drought is also causing hygiene and sanitation to worsen.

Governments and humanitarian country teams in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia have identified humanitarian requirements totaling $1.29 billion, but only $671 million - or 51% - in contributions had been recorded as of June 10th.

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How long have high concentrations of people lived at the horn of Africa? Has the rise of agriculture fostered a temporarily sustainable population only to produce a highland desert? When were the soil-holding forests removed? Have the Asian monsoons shifted northwards (Yemen) or southward (Andamans)?
We can't know the problem unless we know past construction of the problem.