East Africa faces deepening food crisis as millions go hungry

More than 40.3 million people across six Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states are facing high levels of acute food insecurity in 2026, a regional report has warned, as conflict, drought, economic shocks and reduced humanitarian funding continue to deepen food crises.

The figure represents 34% of the analysed population in Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. Although the number is down from 43.3 million in 2025, largely due to improvements in Sudan and Uganda, food insecurity has worsened in Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan.

Opening the report’s launch, IGAD Deputy Executive Secretary Mohamed Abdi Ware said the scale of the crisis required a shift from responding to emergencies toward anticipating and preventing them.

“Today, we are confronted with a stark reality: more than 40 million people across the IGAD region are facing high levels of acute food insecurity,” Ware said.

“Behind this figure are families struggling to put food on the table, farmers and pastoralists whose livelihoods have been disrupted, and children facing malnutrition.”

Sudan remains the region’s largest food crisis, with 19.5 million people, or 41% of the analysed population, facing acute food insecurity between February and May 2026. South Sudan recorded the highest prevalence, with 55% of its population affected between April and July.

Somalia also saw a sharp deterioration, with nearly 6.5 million people, or 33% of the population, facing acute food insecurity in February and March. The report attributed the worsening conditions to failed October-December 2025 rains, record-low cereal production and prolonged drought.

In Kenya’s arid and semi-arid areas, 4.1 million people faced acute food insecurity between April and June, a 46% increase from the 2025 peak. Djibouti recorded 300,000 affected people, while Uganda saw an improvement to 2.1 million from 3.4 million in 2025.

Across the six countries, 10.3 million people were in Emergency and 29.8 million in Crisis, while more than nine million children aged 6-59 months require treatment for acute malnutrition.

“The scale and persistence of food insecurity in our region demand that we move beyond responding to recurrent crises and strengthen our capacity to anticipate risks, prevent deterioration and strengthen resilience,” Ware said.

He called for stronger early-warning systems, resilient food systems, regional trade, conflict prevention, improved data and increased financing.

“Let this report be more than an assessment of the situation. Let it guide decisions, investments and action. Let us act before warning signs become emergencies,” Ware said.

By Vafa Guliyeva