Drought & Looming Famine in East Africa

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is deeply alarmed by the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, which highlights a rapidly deteriorating hunger crisis in South Sudan. With 57% of the population– 7.7 million people– projected to face acute food insecurity during the 2025 lean season (April to July), including 85% of returnees fleeing the war in Sudan, the situation demands urgent global attention.

South Sudan's most vulnerable populations, particularly children, are bearing the brunt of this crisis. Nearly 2.1 million children are at risk of malnutrition, a significant increase from previous years. The IRC is especially concerned about the compounding effects of extreme climate shocks, an escalating economic crisis, and the ongoing conflict that continues to disrupt livelihoods and access to basic needs.

Ladu, IRC Interim Country Director said:

“The devastating impact of this hunger crisis is widespread in South Sudan. Families are fleeing conflict in Sudan and returning to communities already strained by climate shocks and conflict. Without immediate, coordinated action to provide life-saving assistance and address the root causes of food insecurity, the human toll will only grow.”

The IRC is calling for:

• A focus on long-term solutions to tackle the main drivers of hunger, including peacebuilding and climate-related anticipatory action to make a significant difference in how quickly people recover from disaster, while simultaneously building climate resilience in the future.
• Increased humanitarian funding to address immediate food and nutrition needs.

The international community must act now to avert further catastrophe and provide South Sudanese families with the resources and stability they need to rebuild their lives.

The IRC Response in South Sudan

The IRC supports people impacted by conflict and crisis, including women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, refugees and mixed populations. Since the beginning of the Sudan crisis, the IRC in South Sudan has been responding to the influx of refugees and returnees through delivering lifesaving assistance to prevent and reduce excess mortality and morbidity, ensuring that emergency needs are met, and acute protection concerns are addressed at points of entry. Through its programmatic response, the IRC provides services in women's protection and empowerment, focusing on gender-based violence prevention and response, along with general protection, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and nutrition, child protection and economic empowerment and livelihoods for the affected population to restore and rebuild their future.

Support us today

The IRC supports communities in adapting to climate change by identifying hazards, promoting sustainable livelihoods, and prioritizing the needs of women and girls. In addition, the ambitious IRC climate action plan has set us on a course to change how we work to reduce our carbon footprint. We have also committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Donate to support the IRC's work around the world. Thank you!

Climatic shocks have created a devastating food insecurity crisis across East Africa. Over the last few years, the dangerous combination of prolonged drought and flooding has led to soaring levels of severe malnutrition, especially among children. In Ethiopia, this crisis has only been compounded by multiple conflicts, inflation and a refugee crisis that has placed further pressure on the limited resources available.

Today, there are more than 5 million children suffering from acute malnutrition in the East Africa region and 45 million children globally. With the support of the European Union (EU), the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is training health teams on implementing our simplified protocol to treat child malnutrition – an approach that has proven to be highly effective in helping children survive and recover fully from acute malnutrition.

A streamlined and effective approach to treating child malnutrition

Located in the Somali region in Ethiopia, the Eelkare health center is a facility with outpatient and inpatient wards, a malnutrition department, a maternal care unit and tuberculosis-focused services. The center also provides health services and conducts health awareness campaigns in the community. As the manager of the health center, Muntaha shares information on how parents can identify symptoms of acute malnutrition in their children: “The most significant symptoms to watch for are vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and persistent coughing, which indicate malnutrition," she says. "When these symptoms appear, it’s crucial to bring the child to the health center.”

At the health center, the first step in the IRC’s simplified protocol is to make a diagnosis for moderate acute malnutrition or severe acute malnutrition using a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measuring tape. Common diagnoses will show that children with moderate acute malnutrition have some micronutrient deficiencies and weight loss, while children with severe acute malnutrition have significant micronutrient deficiencies and symptoms of severe wasting and edema. Both community health workers and parents can easily learn to use the color-coded MUAC tape, which helps to increase the number of children who receive an accurate diagnosis and treatment.

The IRC’s simplified approach then allows for the health workers to treat all acutely malnourished children under a single treatment program, regardless of whether they have a moderate or severe level of malnutrition. The primary treatment product is a high protein peanut paste known as ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), and the dosage is adjusted based on the severity of the child’s malnutrition. RUTF has been proven to be more than 90% effective at quickly curing children with acute malnutrition. However, the traditional protocol used by various international organizations prevents children with moderate acute malnutrition from receiving RUTF. The IRC is aiming to change this practice, so all children suffering from malnutrition can be treated with RUTF.

With funding from the EU, the IRC has been a crucial partner for the health center, offering trainings for health workers at the center and from the community on the IRC’s simplified protocol for treating child malnutrition. Muntaha, who is participating in the trainings, says, “The assistance the IRC provides helps us serve the community.” The support has also been essential for Abdala, 30, an emergency project coordinator for Norwegian Church Aid, an IRC partner organization on the ground. Abdala has helped to implement a six-month drought response project, which involves distributing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) supplies, strengthening existing government health facilities, and providing health and nutrition services through a mobile health clinic.

Through their mobile health clinic, Abdala and his team go out into the community to diagnose and treat children with acute malnutrition and refer them to health facilities when needed. They also provide cash assistance so that caregivers can buy food for their families. “One of our clients was telling us her story. She didn’t have anything to eat for almost 4 to 5 months. As a result, most of her children have malnutrition,” explains Abdala. “Now she is able to feed her children and improve their nutrition status through the cash support we provided her.”

Working in a remote area like the Elekere district is challenging because the children and families are often far removed from the vital assistance they need. Thanks to the simplified protocol, health workers like Abdala and Muntaha are able to take a streamlined approach to combating child malnutrition and provide the right interventions at the right times for children to stay healthy and thrive.

Support us today

The IRC supports communities in adapting to climate change by identifying hazards, promoting sustainable livelihoods, and prioritizing the needs of women and girls. In addition, the ambitious IRC climate action plan has set us on a course to change how we work to reduce our carbon footprint. We have also committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Donate to support the IRC's work around the world. Thank you!