20 Million At Risk Of Starvation In Africa
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
NAIROBI/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – More than 20 million people, including many Christians, face suffering and death from a lack of food in the Horn of Africa due to worsening drought in several nations, relief groups warn.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says a lack of expected and much-needed rain could lead to famine.
The situation has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which has limited supplies of food and fertilizers across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, according to several sources.
The Horn of Africa – a region of eastern Africa – is said to suffer from drought and has been for several months. The drought has reportedly led to the destruction of crops and the death of livestock.
A month into the new rainy season, the persistent lack of rain worsens the situation, according to experts. And with a lack of other food sources due to war in Ukraine, the WFP increased its estimate of the people at risk of starvation from 14 million to 20 million.
MANY CHRISTIANS
“This includes six million people in Somalia (including the self-declared Republic of Somaliland) and half a million in Kenya,” noted Barnabas Fund, a Christian relief group. “Conflict in Ethiopia and Eritrea also contributes to the unfolding humanitarian disaster.”
The Horn of Africa – including Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and several other bordering countries – has a population of more than 290 million, around half of which are thought to be Christians, Barnabas Fund said.
In November 2021, it was estimated that a billion people worldwide, including 239 million across Africa, were at risk of malnutrition, Barnabas Fund recalled.
“Pray for the millions of people across the Horn of Africa, especially our brothers and sisters who face malnutrition and starvation,” the group added in remarks referencing Bible verse Galatians 6:10.
And mentioning Psalm 147:8, Barnabas Fund appealed to supporters to “Ask the Lord to send the desperately needed rain. Pray for the success of all those seeking to alleviate hunger in this needy region of the world.”
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