The Austrian Red Cross warns that Ethiopia’s famine could get worse. In the south of the country, historic weather extremes, such as more frequent droughts and floods, have accelerated the loss of fresh water sources and grasslands, the humanitarian organization said in a broadcast today.
Southern Ethiopia has been marked by abject poverty for decades, he said, while the north has suffered from acute food shortages as a result of the Tigray conflict.
“We have seen countless children and mothers with clear signs of malnutrition: pregnant women have almost no food available, but they still have to shoulder the burden of childcare and household chores,” reported Andrea Reisinger, head of the international disaster and crisis department at the Austrian Red Cross after staying there. Conflict and famine are forcing men, women and children to flee to other parts of the country.
Natural disasters, cholera and conflict
Children cannot go to school because they have been displaced or have to do household chores such as fetching water and tending livestock. “Due to permanent malnutrition, children cannot develop to their age, and any additional risk poses a risk to their lives,” warned Reisinger.
According to the Red Cross, several natural disasters caused by climate change are taking place in Ethiopia, which is having devastating consequences for the population. According to Reisinger, the cholera has already broken out. There are also violent clashes between individual population groups defending their areas.