The World Food Programme (WFP) warns the Horn of Africa could face "unprecedented" levels of food insecurity in 2023. The UN agency says armed conflict, climate change, a crippling drought, and supply disruptions brought on by Russia's war in Ukraine bode ill for the region. "The drought situation . . . is desperate and extraordinary," said David Beasley, executive director of the WFP, after a visit to the Somali Regional State last week. A statement released by the WFP last week says that over seven million people wake up hungry in southern and eastern Ethiopia every day due to what the UN called "the worst drought in four decades" brought on by three consecutive poor rainy seasons. Millions more face similar conditions in neighbouring Somalia and Kenya. The UN says its faces a 338 million dollar gap in financing needed to reach an estimated 9.4 million people in need of aid in the Tigray, Amhara and Afar regional states. The conflict in Ukraine has pushed global food prices to new highs and threatens food security in the developing world. Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat exports.
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