Global leaders issue warning as worsening crisis threatens food supply: 'Essentially failed'

The United Nations is sounding the alarm over a massive, worsening drought in East Africa that threatens multiple countries. 

What's happening?

According to Türkiye's Anadolu Agency, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a statement in mid-December stating that the rainy season in the Horn of Africa, the region containing Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, had "essentially failed." 

Cyril Ferrand, the FAO's resilience team leader, said that wide swaths of these countries received less than 60% of their average rainfall.

Other regions received less than 30%, and still others received next to none.   

"Some areas are heading toward their driest season on record since 1981," Ferrand said, noting that the region was still recovering from dry seasons in 2022 and 2023 as well. 

Why is this East African drought concerning?

The impact of this massive drought is twofold. 

First, it will directly affect the people of this region and could be devastating to both them and the ecosystem they live in. 

Droughts of this magnitude result in destroyed crops, livestock losses, and reduced milk production in those areas. This, in turn, means higher prices for the crops that remain and directly causes food instability. 

In a region that has historically grappled with food insecurity, the consequences could be grave. 

Currently, it's estimated that 2.1 million Kenyans and 4.4 million Somalis will experience food insecurity due to this drought, and Ferrand stated that the number was expected to rise as the full impact of the dry spell became clear. 

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But the drought is also emblematic of a global problem that comes with rising temperatures. 

As the planet continues to overheat, many regions will experience aridification, or a decrease in rainfall and other precipitation, leading to an increase in desert-like conditions. 

Similar things are happening in the United States: Denver, Colorado, recorded its longest snow-free period in history in 2025, while the rest of the American West is experiencing a snow drought of its own. 

What's being done about the East African drought?

Ferrand stressed that the current conditions don't need to become a full-blown humanitarian crisis if action is taken quickly.

The FAO has released $4 million from its Special Fund for Emergencies and Resilience Activities, but noted that the humanitarian plan in the region was only 24% funded at the time.

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