UN: Over 48mn in East Africa require urgent food aid in 2026

By: AGENCIES 16th Jul 2026 2 min read This photo taken on Feb. 28, 2023 shows a Maasai trader gazing at emaciated livestock at a livestock market in Kajiado County, Kenya. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) NAIROBI, July 16 (Xinhua) — The United Nations (UN) relief agency warned on Wednesday that Eastern Africa remains a major humanitarian hotspot, with an estimated 48.5 million people in need of assistance this year. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said humanitarian needs continue to be driven by conflict, displacement, climate shocks, disease and food insecurity, while the threat of Ebola spreading from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) poses an additional risk. “Although the Ebola outbreak remains concentrated in the DRC, the risk of regional spread remains high,” OCHA said in its latest humanitarian report. According to the UN agency, regional food insecurity escalated in the second quarter, leaving 40.5 million people facing severe hunger, up 1.6 million from the first quarter of 2025. OCHA said the largest increases in food insecurity were reported in South Sudan, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania. It said spillover effects from the Middle East conflict are driving up fuel, transport and food costs while disrupting supply chains and straining already fragile economies. However, climate shocks displaced nearly 13,000 people in Burundi, while the regional refugee population rose from 5.9 million to 6 million, driven by increases in South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya. The UN agency said regional public health risks remain severe, with second-quarter cholera cases more than doubling to 12,400, while 457 mpox cases were reported in displacement-affected and flood-prone areas.