This is on top of the worst locust plague in 25 years, which destroyed crops across the country and left millions without their harvest after months of labour.   

Communities continue to suffer from the devastating drought affecting the Horn of Africa and are bracing for a likely fifth consecutive failed season – with the October- December 2022 rains beginning poorly and forecasts indicating they are likely to underperform.

The livelihoods of vulnerable pastoralists and agro-pastoralists continue to be severely eroded driving food insecurity and malnutrition. It is estimated that more than 4.5 million livestock have died since late 2021, and at least 30 million weakened and emaciated livestock are at risk.

The drought is also causing a health crisis where health risks related to complications from malnutrition and disease outbreaks have increased at a time when access to health services has decreased.

Ethiopia has experienced multiple famines in its history. The 1983-1985 famine was one of the worst humanitarian events in the last century, with up to 1.2 million lives lost. Unless urgent action is taken now, millions in Ethiopia will be at risk of another devastating famine. 

As global temperatures soar as a result of climate change, unpredictable weather events will become increasingly common.   

Many pastoralist communities in Ethiopia rely on consistent rainfall for their livelihoods. During the last three years, rainfall in many parts of southern Ethiopia has been erratic, with long periods without any rain. This means that farmers and pastoralists are unable to grow any crops or feed their livestock. 

Communities have also experienced extreme weather events like the flooding of Lake Turkana, which displaced thousands of vulnerable people living near its shores.  

But when Lake Turkana flooded, Bute and Burre lost their house, their crops and all their possessions overnight.  

“We only saved ourselves and our children. It happened during the night, when we were asleep. It happened very quickly,” Bute said.  

“The water came in the night while we were sleeping, we realised and then ran away holding our children. We didn’t have time to do anything, we could only run with our children and ourselves.”  

Along with many members of their community, Bute and Burre had to relocate to drier, desert land. Due to the impacts of recurrent drought and desert locust-related damage, most people living in Bute and Burre’s community are heavily reliant on humanitarian aid for survival.   

“Before, we could manage by selling our livestock, but now we are totally dependent on aid from organisations and the government. Before we could survive by ourselves with our livestock, but now we are completely dependent on aid. If it wasn’t for Caritas you wouldn’t find anybody around here.”