Food insecure family. | Courtesy of UN.

Over 50 million people are projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity in seven IGAD countries this year, according to a new report.

The 2022 edition of the IGAD Regional Focus on Food Crisis, said the countries to face extreme levels of food insecurity are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

The bloc said, this year’s situation of the food insecure marks a dramatic increase from 2021, when 42 million people suffered from acute food insecurity.

The IGAD report shows that Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan are facing the largest food crises in the region, with about 300,000 people projected to be at the brink of famine in Somalia and South Sudan in 2022.

The analysis also asserted that IGAD countries contribute at least 24 per cent of the world’s 50 million IDPs mainly in South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan.

“Our region has been hit like never before. The combination of climate extremes, conflict, and macroeconomic challenges makes it almost impossible for our otherwise very resilient communities to sustain multiple shocks,” said Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of the IGAD.

“The figures we are releasing today are heartbreaking, and I’m very worried they could increase even more as the outlook for the October to December rainy season is bleak,” he added.

According to the regional bloc, Climate Change has caused an unprecedented multi-seasonal drought in parts or the member states.

The latest forecast by IGAD’s Climate Prediction and Applications Centre predicts a fifth consecutive failed rainy season across the region.

According to the UN OCHA, over 8.9 million people, including 4.6 million children are estimated to be in need of some form of humanitarian assistance and protection in South Sudan in 2022.