The Greater Horn of Africa including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, and, the Tigray region are facing starvation and disease, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, -Director General of the World Health Organization WHO- and that drought, conflict, climate change and the increasing prices for food, fuel, and fertilizer are all contributing to lack of access to sufficient food.
Ghebreyesus gave this disclosure during the COVID-19 media briefing on 17 August 2022.
According to him, WHO has been at the forefront of addressing the resulting health crisis, but however noted that hunger and malnutrition still pose a direct threat to health, which weaken the body’s defenses, and open the door to diseases including pneumonia, measles, and cholera.
The WHO DG, also noted that food insecurity is also forcing many people to choose between paying for food and health care or migrating in search of food, which also put them at increased risk of disease, and reduced access to health services.
Ghebreyesus, during his media briefing also noted that while other partners are working to address the food crisis, WHO has released more than US $16 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies, but said more is needed.
He assured that the 123.7 million dollars the global health agency is appealing for will be used to prevent and control outbreaks, treat malnutrition, and provide essential health services and medicines.
While disclosing that the drought that has compounded into a man-made catastrophe for 6 million people who have been under siege from Ethiopian and Eritrean forces for the last 21 months, who have been sealed off from the outside world, with no telecommunications, no banking services, and very limited electricity and fuel.
The WHO Director-General, therefore, calls for an immediate end to the unimaginable cruelty to the people of Tigray who now face multiple outbreaks of malaria, anthrax, cholera, diarrhea, and more.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who is from Tigray alluded to racism as the lack of international attention being paid to the plight of civilians in Ethiopia’s war-shattered region, which he has tagged as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, and questioned why the situation is not getting the same attention as the conflict in Ukraine?
Earlier this month, a delegation from the US, European Union, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Canada visited Tigray in an effort to facilitate peace talks.
Following their visit, the US and EU issued a joint statement saying that swift restoration of electricity, telecommunications, banking, and other basic services in Tigray is essential for peace talks to go forward. So far, the government has refused.
Since the humanitarian truce was announced in late March, some humanitarian aid has been delivered to Tigray, although nowhere near enough.
In addition, the shortage of fuel and cash continues to be a major impediment to the distribution of aid, and to WHO’s efforts to respond to outbreaks, provide vaccination against COVID-19 and deliver other life-saving health services.
