That is not a question. For the last three decades, the Horn of Africa has been experiencing famine, drought and ongoing humanitarian crisis. The Guardian newspaper highlights that 50 years ago the region had regular 10-year climate cycles which were mostly followed by a major drought. Now the droughts are becoming more frequent and more desperate as they are lasting longer.
The combination of a long, drawn-out civil war, frequent drought and the lack of rainfall every year has lead to many civilians fleeing Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia, a few hundred of thousand to Yemen. Thousands of men, women and children who fled from starvation are currently making their way to the refugee camps as a matter of survival, often walking for weeks, if not months without food and water to reach help.
The fleeing Somalis seen on TV are the same people the UN warned about in 2008 when it said that one in six were at risk of starvation. Josette Sheeran, head of the UN's World Food Programme, appealed for $300m emergency aid– just as she did in 2008 when she told of "a silent tsunami [of hunger] gathering".
Then there comes the argument of how best to deal with the famine and prevent this from occurring in the future. Many have suggested that genetically modified crops and plants be made readily available, as this could solve the world’s food shortage. However, from an ethical point of perspective it can be argued that GM crops are not natural and not enough research has yet been carried on the possible effects on human health.
This emergency will cost the West around $400m. If this money would have been invested into long-term development, this tragedy could have been avoided. Let us hope the world will not be in this position again in one or two year’s time.
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