the Horn but was considered part of the disaster), and south-east Ethiopia, together with the Afar region (which was still recovering from the drought produced by El Niño in 2015/16) were affected.
The FAO and other international organisations launched an international call for help to prevent a famine like the one in 2011, with a mixed response from the international aid community (aid from the FAO, EU, Central Emergency Response Fund).
The consequences were even worse. Some news we received at the time are shown next:
- The severe drought leaves Somalia on the brink of its third famine in 25 years
- 363,000 children suffer from malnutrition in Somalia due to the worst drought since 2011
- Drought in East Africa: the prices of food increase
- The drought in the Horn of Africa worsens conflict over grazing land in Kenya
Currently, this issue is no longer in the news.
The Rohingya refugees are the last forgotten group, in this case affected by floods.
With a population of almost 1 million, this Muslim ethnic group from Myanmar (previously Burma) have been subject since 2017, according to the UN, to ethnic cleansing by the Burmese authorities, who have forced more than 622,000 people to seek refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Map of the conflict (Save The Children)
Since 1982, the Rohingya people have been denied citizenship, as they are considered to be Bengali immigrants. Currently, they are the ethnic and religious minority subject to greatest persecution in the planet.
Since they arrived to the neighbouring country, the Rohingya people have been exposed to inclement weather, with the monsoon as a key player. Midway through 2018, storms flooded refugee camps, in spite of an intense fight against the clock to protect the sites.
A girl carries her brother in her arms while she crosses an overflowing stream in Kutupalong (© UNICEF/UN0219081/Modola).
These circumstance led to other associated problems, such as:
The presence in the media has not been as prominent as in the case of La Guajira or the Horn of Africa, although the conflict is still ongoing and aid arrives piecemeal.
Given these circumstances, World Water Day should make us reflect: it is the time to leave no one behind.