The region is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years. For the first time there have been four consecutive failed rainy seasons meaning food is scarce. This combined with soaring global food prices - an impact of the war in Ukraine – has meant a humanitarian disaster is unfolding and people are dying.
Bishops, including those from South Sudan and Kenya, took time out of the conference to pray together. Alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop Joseph Maumo Wandera, the bishop of the Anglican diocese of Mumias, Kenya, led the prayer.
Leading the vigil Archbishop Justin Welby said: “The crisis in East Africa has been building for at least two years and is now devastating the people of the area and threatening worse. I appeal to our governments and to the people of this country, please step forward to enable food to be purchased. And I continue to appeal to the governments of Ukraine and Russia, please make space for the transport of the huge amount of food stuffs to save those caught in this famine.”
Bishop Michael Deng Bol, the Episcopal Diocese of Abyei–Anglican Communion, South Sudan said: “People in South Sudan are struggling with continuing conflict; communities are being displaced. Drought in some regions and flooding in others means people are leaving their homes and crops are failing. Many people no longer have any food left and they are starving.”
The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Mark Strange said: “I find it staggering that we have 24-hour news going on in this country and yet no one knows anything about the food crisis that’s taking place in East Africa. In 2017, we began to get signals that things weren’t right and there are all sorts of reasons why things may be difficult to sort out, but we can’t just abandon a whole portion of the world because it doesn’t fit in with our own political agendas or with our news of who is going to be the next Prime Minister. This is the really important stuff.”
John Plant, National Churches Relationships Lead at Christian Aid, said: “Many of the bishops gathered here today have seen first-hand how the climate crisis is impacting people in East Africa. Right now, people are dying of starvation and hundreds of thousands of lives could be lost if urgent action is not taken.
“The Lambeth Conference is the perfect opportunity to gather the Anglican community and discuss the most pressing issues we face today. In East Africa, a humanitarian crisis is happening now, and it needs our attention. We are grateful to those who have united in prayer to highlight this.”
Notes to editors
East Africa context:
- Communities in the Horn of Africa are facing the worst drought in 40 years following four consecutive failed rainy seasons.
- 18.4m people across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are missing meals, or eating a less diverse diet. In particular, women and girls are going hungry [Source: OCHA]
- 7.1 million children are malnourished in the Horn of Africa, including 2 million severely malnourished children [Source: OCHA].
- Millions of people are facing water shortages, many water points have dried up or reduced in quality, increasing the risk of disease [Source: OCHA].
- Families are taking desperate measures to survive, with over a million abandoning their homes in search of food, water and pasture for livestock.
- At least 7 million livestock have died in recent months. Consequently, children have less access to milk, negatively impacting their nutrition [Source: OCHA].
- The cost of a ‘food basket’ has jumped 66% in Ethiopia (and 36% in Somalia). 90% of wheat imported to East Africa comes from Russia and Ukraine [Source: OCHA].
- Many water points have dried up or diminished in quality, heightening the risk of water-borne diseases and increasing the risk of skin and eye infections as families are forced to ration their water use and prioritise drinking and cooking over hygiene.
- Women and girls are having to walk longer distances to access water, exacerbating their potential exposure to gender-based violence. In times of hunger, women and girls eat less and last.
- Direct UK aid and planned aid to Ethiopia fell from £241m in 2020/21 to £108m in 2021/22, a cut of 55%; aid to Kenya fell from £67m to £41m, a cut of 39%; and aid to Somalia fell from £121m to £71m, a cut of 41% [Source: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office].
- Despite the deteriorating situation, just 23 per cent of the British public in a poll commissioned by Christian Aid said they were aware of the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. That compares to 92 per cent who are aware of the conflict in Ukraine.
Christian Aid response:
Working through local partners, Christian Aid is responding to the severe drought in Ethiopia and Kenya and helping over 300,000 people by repairing wells, handing out water purification kits, providing cash support and trucking water to drought affected communities as well as providing fodder and medicine to keep valuable livestock alive.
Christian Aid launched its East Africa Hunger Crisis Appeal last month www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/east-africa-hunger-crisis-appeal
To sign the petition asking the UK Government to take immediate action, please visit www.christianaid.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/east-africa-hunger-crisis-petition
