Famine: from the 1980s to today
A timeline of famine in East Africa – and how the IRC is saving lives.
1984 – A widespread famine caused by drought and conflict devastates lives in Ethiopia. One million people were reported to have died, 8 million were affected. ( [link removed]
1989 – IRC begins work in southern Sudan for people displaced by civil war and hunger. We have been one of the largest providers of aid in southern Sudan for more than 20 years. ( [link removed]
IRC Story: “A mother shares her strength in the face of a vicious war” ( [link removed]
1991 – Somalia collapses and a famine is fueled by civil war and drought. The IRC was on the ground saving lives then and we are in Somalia today providing emergency relief. ( [link removed]
IRC Story: “Fleeing drought in Somalia: One family’s story” ( [link removed]
1998 - Famine returns to southern Sudan, caused mainly by war and conflict. The IRC continues to provide lifesaving health care, nutrition and emergency relief. ( [link removed]
2000 – The IRC expands our work in Africa and begins providing aid to people in crisis in Ethiopia. ( [link removed]
IRC Story: “Why drought can’t drive this Ethiopian family from their home” ( [link removed]
2011 – The UN declares famine in Somalia as the worst drought in decades ravages the country. The IRC provided aid in Somalia and other drought-stricken areas in East Africa. ( [link removed]
2017 – For the first time in six years the UN declares a famine. It is declared in South Sudan, while hunger crises across East Africa, Yemen and Nigeria threatened millions more lives. Our hunger crisis response in these regions reached an estimated 2 million people in 2017. ( [link removed]
IRC Story: “War and hunger are destroying families in South Sudan” ( [link removed]
2018 – South Sudan is on the brink of famine and hunger is still ravaging parts of East Africa. When famine is declared, it is often too late. ( [link removed]
Here are 5 things you should know about famine and how the IRC is saving lives. ( [link removed]
Sources: UN, CNN, BBC, WFP
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