In September, the food security and nutrition situation further deteriorated in most parts of the East and Central Africa (ECA) region. The situation would have been worse without humanitarian assistance and government-led support which was crucial in preventing the worsening of the acute food security and nutrition situation in some affected areas.
An estimated 54.5 million people in ECA were severely food insecure (IPC Phase 3+) in September, comprising of over 42 million people in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and 12 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). This figure is 14.9 million people above those in Crisis or worse food insecurity during the same time last year.
An estimated 3.6 million children are projected to be severely malnourished in ECA, requiring urgent treatment services.
Climatic shocks (particularly floods in Sudan, Ethiopia and South Sudan, and erratic rains in Somalia), conflict/insecurity, economic shocks (particularly inflation and currency depreciation), and the Desert Locust upsurge, exacerbated by COVID-19, were the major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition.
Approximately 12.7 million people remain displaced: 4.6 million refugees and asylum seekers and 8.1 million internally displaced persons in 11 Eastern Africa countries.
