Eastern Africa: Humanitarian Snapshot (As of May 2024)

In Eastern Africa, severe climate events (drought and flooding), conflicts, and disease outbreaks continued to cause displacement and push millions of people into acute food insecurity, high levels of malnutrition, and public health emergencies.

El Niño-induced heavy rains, landslides and flooding hit most of the region. Their impact led to loss of life, livestock, damage to infrastructure and agricultural assets. Tropical Cyclone Hidaya and Tropical Storm Ialy contributed to adverse weather, while communities in Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika were on alert due to rising water levels.

Acute food insecurity continued to stalk millions in the region, with Sudan facing a looming threat of famine due to ongoing conflict, by May. Overall, more than 48.1 million people, mainly in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, were projected to face acute food insecurity by July 2024.

Malnutrition rates surged, putting at higher risk children and women.

The region hosts one of the world’s largest displacement crises. Nearly 19 million people are internally displaced and more than 5 million are refugees/asylum seekers. Sudan saw a steep rise since the conflict broke out in April 2023, with 9.9 million people internally displaced. Intensifying conflicts are exacerbating protection risks faced by civilians.

Disease outbreaks of cholera, measles and dengue were reported. Cholera outbreaks recorded more than 34,000 cases in most of the region since January 2024, as flooding increased the risk of waterborne disease due to water contamination, and damage to infrastructure. Humanitarian appeals in the region remain severely underfunded, limiting partners' ability to scale up the response and risking to push millions of people into catastrophic conditions.