Review: Acute Food Insecurity and Conflict in Africa

 

Food security crisis in Africa spans the center of the continent from Mali to Somalia.

Millions still at risk of starvation into 2017 as consequences of severe El Nino are still felt. 

NB: Names of countries in conflict are Bold.

 

Historic droughts in East and Southern Africa have caused food prices to skyrocket to

 record levels, doubling the price of staple cereals in some areas. The areas of greatest food 

insecurity, however, are those affected by conflict.

An arc of conflict-affected countries, largely overlapping regions of greatest food insecurity,

 spans the center of the continent from Somalia to Mali.

In addition to disrupting production, conflict undercuts markets that would normally bring food

 to areas of greatest shortage.

In some places, conflict prevents even conducting a full assessment of the level of food 

insecurity. And because countries in conflict lack the resilience or coping mechanisms of

 more stable areas, their food crises tend to last longer and have more lasting impact.

In short:
– Nineteen African countries are facing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of food insecurity
– Ten of those countries are experiencing civil conflict
– Eight of those ten countries are autocracies
– Those eight are also the source of 82 percent of the 18.5 million Africans that are internally
displaced or refugees

Source:  Africa Center for Strategic Studies,