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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lizzy Davies

Hunger crisis grips Horn of Africa – but 80% of Britons unaware, poll shows

Women and children at the nutrition unit of the Kelafo health centre, Ethiopia, April 2022.  Levels of child malnutrition are increasing, aggravated by the effects of drought.
Women and children at the nutrition unit of the Kelafo health centre, Ethiopia, April 2022. Levels of child malnutrition are increasing, aggravated by the effects of drought. Photograph: Eduardo Soteras/AFP/Getty Images

The UK government has been urged to give the hunger crisis gripping the Horn of Africa “proper attention”, as new polling showed just two in 10 people in Britain are aware that the worst drought in 40 years is even taking place, let alone threatening famine.

As the war in Ukraine rages, the combined effect of three failed rainy seasons has pushed parts of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia to the brink, killing livestock, forcing people to leave their homes and increasing levels of child malnutrition. The Russian invasion has exacerbated the situation, pushing up the price of staples such as wheat and sunflower oil, as well as fuel.

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