The 10 humanitarian crisis which received the least attention in 2019

Published on: February 14, 2020 9:58 AM

In 2019, over 51 million people agonized in 10 crises away from the public eye. In the intervening time, a stock photo of an egg became the most-liked post on Instagram with almost 25.4 million likes. While for the average person on earth, life is better today than ever before, about 2% of the global population (160 million people) will need US$28.8 billion in humanitarian assistance to survive.

International aid organizations, have launched a report emphasizing the ten most under-reported humanitarian crises. The report “Suffering in Silence”, CARE challenges media institutions, aid organizations and policymakers to make mindful choices about their priorities.  Let’s see below the most under-reported crises of 2019:

1. 1. Madagascar – At the end of 2019, more than 2.6 million people were affected by the impacts of drought, and more than 916,000 people were in instant need of food assistance. Madagascar has the world’s fourth-highest rate of chronic malnutrition, with one in every two children under five suffering from stunting.
   2. Central African Republic – A ruthless conflict in the heart of Africa, about 2.6 million people were in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Violent clashes and attacks on civilians have forced one in four citizens of the Central African Republic to flee their homes. More than 600,000 people are displaced inside their own country and almost 594,000 people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries such as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad, all of which fight with high poverty rates themselves.
   3. Zambia – A predictable 2.3 million people in the country are in crucial need of food assistance as a result of recurring and prolonged droughts. Food insecurity due to extreme weather events, pests or epidemics is nothing new for the landlocked nations in Southern Africa, however, temperatures in the region are rising at about twice the global rate, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
   4. Burundi – Instability fueling a humanitarian crisis, 1.7 million people chronically struggle to feed their families. With prolonged political insecurity, high levels of poverty and significant human rights concerns, the humanitarian situation in Burundi remains fragile. Natural disasters, population movements, malaria epidemics and the risk of Ebola crossing into the country compound an already precarious situation.
   5. Eritrea – A severe drought in 2019 following an above-average dry year in 2018 now worsens the situation as further crop failures lead to food insecurity and malnourishment in wide parts of the population. Nomadic communities are especially vulnerable to natural disasters such as drought and flooding during rainy seasons.
   6. DPR Korea –The UN estimates that around 9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance to meet their food, health, water, sanitation and hygiene needs. An estimated 43% of the population is undernourished as agricultural food production fails to meet their requirements due to the lack of modern equipment, compounded by heatwaves, droughts and floods.
   7. Kenya – More than 1 million people live without regular access to food and more than 500,000 children under five are in need of treatment for malnutrition. Continuing dry conditions across Kenya have led to the deterioration of livestock and crop productivity, higher food prices and a decrease of water. Agricultural production has halved according to estimates. When there is not too little rainfall, there is far too much.
   8. Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso has been marked by years of protracted political instability resulting from security challenges, a power vacuum, weak governance and the presence of armed groups. Additionally, the country is extremely poor and suffers from high levels of economic inequality and agricultural deficits largely due to insecurity.
   9. Ethiopia – Ethiopia faced multiple challenges in 2019: there was a drought in the eastern and south-eastern parts of the country, localised flooding, as well as the significant humanitarian and recovery needs of internally displaced people, refugees, returnees and host communities. A vicious cycle of disaster, hunger and displacement, about 7.9 million people suffer from a serious level of malnutrition, particularly pregnant and lactating women, infants and the elderly.
   10. Lake Chad Basin – The crisis in the Lake Chad Basin has many faces: 10 years of conflict and violence, poverty, hunger, displacement and the sinking water levels of the lake have led to nearly 10 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. In Chad, about 657,000 displaced are in need of help. In addition, thousands of refugees from the Central African Republic and from Sudan have sought refuge in Chad.

With so many different types of disasters and conflicts repeatedly ignored by the media year after year, the question remains: what can or should be done? While the reasons for a crisis to be forgotten may share commonalities, the solutions can be many and varied. Anything from simple actions to creative attempts can make a difference. But doing nothing is not an option.

The writer has 9 years of experience in addressing economic and social gaps, with institutions such as The World Bank, and International Organization for Migration