UN agencies and partners on Monday called for greater support to prevent famine in the Horn of Africa, the region home to Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

The agencies in a statement stated that greater global solidarity was needed to address the rapidly unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in the Horn of Africa, where millions are going hungry due to two years of unprecedented drought.

“Humanitarians must urgently prepare to continue their life-saving work in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, as the drought – the longest and most severe in recent history – is set to run well into the coming year,” the partners said, referring to the humanitarian classification scale for food insecurity. “Even though nearly 21 million people are highly food insecure – with some areas of Somalia still projected to face famine – response plans are only 50 per cent funded.”

Despite the intrinsic uncertainty of rainfall forecasts, according to the agencies, there is solid certainty about the urgent need for global support and solidarity to avert a Famine (IPC Phase 5) in the months ahead.

Recalling that 260,000 people in Somalia died during the 2011 East Africa drought, with most deaths occurring before famine was declared, they urged the world not to allow this situation to be repeated.

“Given rising death rates in many areas, the size of the affected population, and the likely duration of the crisis, the cumulative levels of excess mortality could become as high as in 2011,” the partners reported.

They also noted that “we cannot – and must not – wait for a famine (IPC Phase 5) to be declared, or for additional rainy seasons to fail, to act,” stressing the significant increases in severe acute malnutrition observed across the whole Horn of Africa region. 

The agencies noted that nearly 7.5 million children under five are estimated to be affected, including 1.85 million facing the severest form of the condition.

Child deaths have also risen. A recent assessment following the Gu rainy season in Somalia, from March to June, found under-five death rates exceeding two in 10,000 a day among four surveyed population groups.

More than 23.7 million people face daily problems accessing water, thus increasing their vulnerability to water-borne diseases.

The situation also forces women and children to travel long distances to fetch water, putting them at heightened risk of violence and exploitation.

“The drought impacts on health risks are also significant, and multiple ongoing disease outbreaks, including measles and cholera, for which health outcomes are worse when combined with malnutrition, are major public health concerns,” they added.

Some 1.77 million have fled their homes because they face severely limited access to food, water, and other resources. These people are now internally displaced, and over 40,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring countries since the beginning of the year.

The partners said the situation was deteriorating due to the poor start of the October to December rains, particularly in Kenya and southern Somalia.