Heads of State and Government of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday called on the International Community to support the region dealwith the ongoing drought which has left close to 40 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
The Horn of Africa region has in the past two years faced a locust invasion, the COVID-19 pandemic, four successive failed rain seasons and now the Ukraine-Russia conflict all of which have contributed to food insecurity.
Leaders at the summit warned that time is fast running out for the world to offer support in saving lives and livelihoods. Chairperson of IGAD, Abdel Fattah Al Burhan likened the drought to the one the region experienced 40 years ago. Officials here say there are already combined regional efforts to tackle the drought.
On the sidelines of the summit, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Abdel Fattah Al Burhani of Sudan held a meeting five days after military tensions escalated on the border between the two countries leading to the deaths of seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian over a long running border dispute. The meeting however made no mention of the dispute.
