Description of the crisis
By February 2023, the hunger crisis in Africa reached critical levels, with approximately 146 million people facing
crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity across sub-Saharan Africa. This crisis was driven by a confluence of
climatic shocks, including prolonged droughts and recurrent flooding, compounded by conflicts, economic
downturns, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. These global and local factors severely impacted
communities, pre-existing vulnerabilities such as poverty and marginalization, and disproportionately affected
vulnerable groups including women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and those in single or childheaded
households.
In the Horn of Africa, the situation was particularly dire. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET)
reported five consecutive dry seasons, marking the longest dry spell ever recorded in the region. In Somalia, an
estimated 8.3 million people were projected to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse conditions by mid-2023, with famine
expected in rural parts of Baidoa and displaced populations in Baidoa Town. Despite ongoing humanitarian efforts,
acute food insecurity and malnutrition levels were anticipated to deteriorate further without sustained food
assistance.
The broader Eastern African region was also facing significant challenges. The poor performance of the March-May
2022 rainy season was followed by delayed and irregular rains, affecting crop production and rangeland conditions.
In Ethiopia, the Meher season harvest concluded with below-average yields due to prolonged conflict and dry
conditions, while widespread flooding in Sudan and South Sudan disrupted agricultural activities.
In contrast, West Africa experienced generally favourable conditions for the main and second season cereal harvests,
except in conflict-affected areas. Southern Africa, however, was seeing mixed conditions with increasing dryness
affecting countries like Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Madagascar, potentially
threatening the main season cereal output.
The African Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies launched emergency appeals in response to these crises.
Seventeen national societies then engaged with limited resources, highlighting a critical need for more funding to
scale up the response. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) increased its
operational and technical support in the region, particularly in Somalia, where it planned to expand its presence in
Somaliland and Puntland, including setting up an office in Garowe and exploring access to communities outside of
major towns.
Currently, Angola struggles with severe drought, impacting food insecurity, affecting approximately 1.58 million
people in the southern provinces, exacerbated by the worst drought in 40 years. In Burkina Faso, over 2.27 million
people face severe food insecurity due to a combination of armed conflict and inadequate agricultural production,
especially in regions bordering Niger. In Cameroon, food insecurity has worsened, affecting over 3.2 million people
nationwide due to internal conflicts and extreme weather events. Djibouti faces a critical hunger crisis, with
approximately 192,168 people projected to face acute food insecurity due to compounded risk factors including
drought and global economic impacts. The Democratic Republic of Congo confronts one of the world’s most severe
humanitarian crises, affecting millions due to ongoing conflict, displacement, and climatic adversities.
Ethiopia is in a protracted crisis with 28.6 million people needing humanitarian assistance. Conflicts, climate shocks,
and economic instability led to massive food insecurity and displacement. Madagascar’s Grand Sud experienced
worsening food insecurity, with significant numbers facing acute malnutrition and restricted access to food due to
poor weather conditions and economic factors. In Mali, the food crisis persisted with a projection of increased food
insecurity affecting millions due to climatic hazards, armed conflicts, and socio-political unrest. Niger saw a rise in
food insecurity, with over 4 million people affected due to adverse weather, disease outbreaks, and insecurity
impacting agricultural and pastoral activities. Nigeria grappled with a severe hunger crisis, particularly in the
northern region, driven by conflict, economic difficulties, and climate-related disruptions. Somalia faced significant
food insecurity with millions affected. Conditions are slightly improving due to better rainfall, but the overall situation
remains critical due to ongoing conflict and climatic shocks.
Considering the alarming food crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, the DREF Operational Review of October 2023
underscored the critical need for enhanced efforts in addressing the complex challenges. It advocated for integration
of sustainable solutions, improved project monitoring, and innovative resource mobilization strategies to bolster
the effectiveness of operations and ensure sustainability of actions. By focusing on long-term planning, enhancing
coordination, and promoting the new DREF modality for slow-onset crises, the recommendations aimed to fortify
the response to the hunger crisis across the prioritized countries. The review’s findings emphasized the importance
of addressing both the immediate and underlying causes of food insecurity, to ensure a comprehensive and resilient
approach to mitigating the impacts of this unprecedented crisis.
The Southern part of Africa is also facing an exacerbated draught crisis. Since November 2023, the El Niño weather
phenomenon has brought high temperatures and below-average rainfall to southern Africa, with significant negative
impacts on agriculture, leading to water scarcity, food shortages, and disease outbreaks. The drought began in
Botswana in October 2023 and has gradually intensified and spread to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia,
affecting most of southern Africa today. In the last month and a half, the governments of Zambia, Malawi, and
Zimbabwe have declared states of emergency. With the resources available, Red Cross-National Societies in
Southern Africa provided the support they could to some of the most affected communities in the region. However,
more support is urgently needed to provide immediate relief and avert an even worse situation soon.
The Southern African National Societies are responding through a combination of existing emergency appeals in
Malawi, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Madagascar, and DREF operations in Eswatini and Zambia, and are currently
appealing for CHF 34 million to meet the most urgent needs of 1.4 million people. Based on recent assessments and
requests for support, the Africa Region Office is preparing emergency appeals for Zambia and Mozambique. For the
other countries in Southern Africa, the exact needs are being assessed on an ongoing basis and, if necessary, they
will also be supported through DREF operations or emergency appeals.
All operations are based on food security and livelihoods, health and nutrition and water sanitation and hygiene. As
well coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, protection and gender inclusion and community engagement and
accountability were considered key enablers. These align with the current IFRC Africa Region Hunger Crisis Appeal
and contribute to the IFRC’s pan-African Zero Hunger initiative. A call for action1 was published on the IFRC website.
Key drivers of acute food insecurity
▪ Climatic Shocks: Drought and flooding which affect Ethiopia, Angola, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Djibouti,
Madagascar and the Southern African countries led to failed crops, loss of livestock, and displacement thus
eroding livelihoods and increasing vulnerability.
▪ Economic decline: High food prices and economic instability/crises are prominent in South Sudan, Tanzania,
Nigeria, and Madagascar restricting access to essential resources and worsening food security.
▪ Conflict and insecurity: Ongoing armed Conflicts in countries like Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Mali, Nigeria, and Somalia continue to disrupt agricultural activities, displace communities,
and hinder aid delivery.
▪ Disease outbreaks and health crises: In Niger and Ethiopia, disease outbreaks further stress already
vulnerable populations, affecting nutritional status and increasing morbidity and mortality rates.