Greater Horn of Africa Faces Severe Food Insecurity and Health Crisis

The regional crisis spans six nations across two WHO regions—Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan—and is officially classified as a Grade 2 emergency under the WHO Emergency Response Framework, as outlined in data covering the period from April to June 2026.

Malnutrition and Food Insecurity

More than 37.8 million people are currently experiencing or projected to experience acute food insecurity across the six affected countries, according to WHO regional figures. At the same time, over 4.9 million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition.

The crisis places more than 1.5 million children at risk of severe acute malnutrition requiring specialized medical treatment. WHO notes that Ethiopia continues to report widespread food insecurity and mounting humanitarian needs, though a comparable national IPC Phase 3+ estimate is not yet available to complete the full regional accounting.

Disease Outbreaks and Health Risks

Worsening food insecurity and displacement are colliding with recurrent outbreaks of epidemic-prone diseases, including measles, cholera, malaria, and dengue. Essential health services have faced severe disruptions, compounding the risk of preventable illness and mortality.

Vulnerable groups face the highest exposure to excess morbidity and death. According to WHO situation assessments, those most at risk include children under five years of age, pregnant and lactating women, displaced populations, refugees, returnees, pastoralist communities, and residents living in hard-to-reach or insecure areas.

Operational Challenges and Strategic Response

Humanitarian operations on the ground face substantial obstacles. Life-saving interventions are being severely restricted by active insecurity, limited stabilization center capacity, funding shortfalls, restricted humanitarian access, supply chain disruptions, overstretched health systems, and shortages of trained health workers, as noted by WHO.

To address these compounding pressures, WHO has published its Greater Horn of Africa Food Insecurity and Health Crisis Strategic Response Plan for August 2026 through January 2027. The plan is structured around five core pillars: emergency coordination and leadership, collaborative surveillance and early warning, community protection from epidemic-prone diseases, safe and scalable life-saving care, and strategic advocacy and resource mobilization.

The organization requires approximately US$25.4 million to sustain priority health and nutrition interventions across the six-country response footprint through the remainder of the year. Forecasted El Niño conditions between August and October 2026 threaten to bring localized flooding and increased rainfall variability, which may amplify public health risks and exacerbate food insecurity across vulnerable parts of the region.

WHO is coordinating its response through a three-level mechanism linking its headquarters, regional offices for Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, and country offices. Partnering directly with national Ministries of Health, the agency is working to pre-position emergency medicines, reinforce nutrition stabilization centers, and expand integrated health and nutrition service delivery.

Immediate investment in integrated health and nutrition interventions is essential to prevent avoidable mortality, preserve essential health services, and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations and health systems.

World Health Organization