
Viewpoints | Nov 16,2019
For weeks, stories and photos coming out of the Somali and Oromia regional states have revealed a growing humanitarian crisis of a magnitude unseen for decades. Cattle have been pictured with their bones poking out and hundreds of thousands displaced seeking nourishment. In the Somali Regional State, where the crisis hit hard, 1.4 million heads of livestock have been lost, dealing a severe blow to the livelihoods of pastoralist households. The lives of 3.2 million people are at risk. A similar calamity also haunts the southeastern parts of Oromia, where malnutrition cases are doubling. The culprit is a drought – unlike in the northern part of the country, where the ongoing crisis is largely manmade. It is hitting a part of the country that is already semi-arid, primarily supporting pastoralists. Drought is not new to the area, but it has not been this bad in four decades, according to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA).
“Ethiopia is experiencing a prolonged drought with three poor rainy seasons in a row," said the UN agency. Communities in six zones of Somali, four zones of Oromia and one zone of southern regional state have been severely impacted, according to UN-OCHA.
They need urgent humanitarian relief assistance, the UN urged. The federal government, the regional states and humanitarian agencies are scrambling after the fact. In response to the drought, the Somali and Oromia regional governments have eked out 200 million Br and half a billion Birr, respectively. Neighbouring governments and administrations have also been chipping in. The Addis Abeba City Administration recently made an in-kind contribution of 50 million Br to drought-affected people in the Guji Zone of the Oromia Regional State.
Federal officials have appealed to donors and international aid organisations. While the World Food Programme (WFP) supplied 1.1 million quintals of food aid, the federal government says this is still a million short. A shortfall in funding leaves millions in precarious situations. Experts believe that if the drought continues to become more stubborn in the semi-arid areas, the long-term solution may be resettlement programmes, a consideration with significant socio-political implications for decades to come.
You can read the full story here
PUBLISHED ON
Jan 29,2022 [ VOL
22 , NO
1135]
Viewpoints | Nov 16,2019
Sponsored Contents | Mar 21,2022
Fortune News | Jun 10,2023
Fortune News | Sep 02,2023
Fortune News | Nov 25,2023
Radar | Dec 10,2022
Commentaries | May 02,2020
Radar | Apr 02,2022
Radar | Oct 01,2022
Agenda | Jan 29,2022
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
Oct 4 , 2025
Eyob Tekalegn (PhD) had been in the Governor's chair for only weeks when, on Septembe...
Sep 27 , 2025
Four years into an experiment with “shock therapy” in education, the national moo...
Sep 20 , 2025
Getachew Reda's return to the national stage was always going to stir attention. Once...
Sep 13 , 2025
At its launch in Nairobi two years ago, the Africa Climate Summit was billed as the f...