The United Kingdom must urgently increase its aid to drought-stricken East African countries, former secretaries of state for international development and the heads of the country’s leading humanitarian agencies have said in a joint letter to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
In the letter, they stated that over 28 million people need immediate humanitarian aid in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, while more than 7 million children are malnourished across the region. One person is dying every 36 seconds from starvation, as estimated by the international charity Oxfam.
At the same time, British aid to these nations is one-fifth of what the country managed to provide in 2017, when the region was hit by a devastating famine, the letter's signatories claimed.
“East Africa is facing a catastrophic hunger crisis caused by one of the worst droughts in living memory. It is looking increasingly likely that a fifth consecutive rainy season has failed in the region, leaving millions of families in a desperate situation and facing starvation," the letter read, as cited by the UK media.
The letter warned that the situation there is likely to get even worse if sufficient help is not provided and all necessary steps are not taken. Even though a famine hasn't been officially declared yet, what can be seen "on the ground is a famine in all but name."
"Despite the rapidly mounting death toll, the international response is woefully underfunded and the UK has failed to do its bit,” the letter stressed.
The country has provided just £156 million ($190 million) in 2022 in support for East African countries, that accounts for less than a fifth (or 18%) of the £861 million ($1 billion) allocated to tackle the region's humanitarian crisis in 2017.
The letter called for the UK to step up, and "lead by example by stepping up support to those in need today,” if the country is determined to save lives and make "others do more" before it's too late.
Last week, Andrew Mitchell, Minister of State for Development and Africa, appointed in late October, in an address to the international development committee in the UK Parliament stated that the country has lost its reputation as a "development power". He explained it by noting “fierce and draconian” cuts to the foreign aid budget and large amounts spent on housing Ukrainian refugees.
“Today, we are actually spending 0.55% [of national income on international development] and, you know, let’s not beat about the bush, we are not a development superpower at the moment and that is something that is bemoaned around the world by our many friends and people who look to Britain for leadership on international development,” Mitchell said.
During his visit to western Somalia last week, the development minister approved an extra £14 million ($17 million) in humanitarian aid to the East African country. Mitchell later called “unacceptable” that the world is “neglecting people who are dying in the Horn of Africa,” while at the same time much aid money have been provided to Ukraine instead.
In 2022, the UK has provided £62 million ($75 million) to Somalia, while in 2020 and 2021 the allocated money amounted to £101 and £232 million ($282 million), respectively.
This week, the UN coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, warned that the country is now experiencing a "catastrophic emergency" as it was hit by the most severe drought in its history. According to him, approximately half of the Somalian population, 7.8 million, has been affected by the drought with most of them facing "acute food insecurity." The country has been suffering from the fifth consecutive failed rainy season and the sixth is projected for next year.
In November, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) regional director for East Africa, Michael Dunford, speaking about the situation in the Horn of Africa stated that it is set to get worse as “we may see before the end of this year, or perhaps early next, a declaration of pockets of famine in parts of Somalia."
He highlighted that the drought may continue with a possible famine being replicated "in some of the neighboring countries as well.” At the same time, he expressed his hope that the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), which took place last month in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, could address the funding issues to meet humanitarian needs of the region and ensure long-term investment.
After two weeks of extended negotiations, delegates at the climate summit reached a "loss and damage" deal to create a fund for financial aid from the world's biggest emitters of CO2 to the poorer, developing countries that are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
During the summit, several developed nations also made pledges to provide necessary funds. For example, the UK has promised to triple its adaptation finance by 2025. Other European states, such as Austria, Denmark, and Germany, announced extra payments in loss and damage funds, while the EU has pledged to allocate more than a billion euros to Africa to tackle the climate crisis.
The African nations have repeatedly called upon the most-polluting countries to provide immediate support for loss and damage on the continent. Although African states produce the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions, they are affected the most by the consequences of climate change, battered by weather disasters such as severe droughts or devastating floods, and other climate-related issues.
African countries condemned the industrialized nations' reluctance to take responsibility and compensate as promised, claiming that the agreements remain only on paper, while all the decisions should have a force beyond mere words.
The West tends to fall short on financial pledges to mitigate climate change effects. For instance, over the period between 2009 and 2020, developed countries failed to reach climate finance targets, delivering just a part of the initial $100 billion sum. In October, in response to a question about the famine in the Horn of Africa, a senior UN official claimed he had no idea what happened to the promised amount of money. As a result, the climate affected countries, such as Somalia, still haven't received the financing.