French newspaper "Le Monde" reports that 130 million people on the African continent are in need of assistance, and international aid last year could not cover more than a third of their needs. By 2024, after three years of record drought, experts are concerned about the consequences of the return of the El Niño climatic phenomenon to the Horn of Africa, where large floods have already been observed.
The newspaper, in a report by Laurence Caramel, began with the case of Burundi, which has the lowest per capita income globally and receives little media attention. Despite this, it frequently faces extreme climate events, leading to assistance needs. In 2023, heavy rains and floods caused the displacement of tens of thousands of people and a reduction in the means of livelihood for more than 10% of the population, most of whom are in rural areas.
The report stated that Prince Harry's book received 54 times more coverage on online news sites than Burundi, according to a tally published by the non-governmental organization CARE International in a report on the ten least-covered humanitarian crises of 2023, all of which are in Africa.
130 Million in a Humanitarian Emergency
At a time when humanitarian needs are reaching historically high levels globally due to the proliferation of conflicts and the consequences of climate change, the lack of media coverage directly impacts international solidarity support, as the newspaper states. For example, in Burundi, only a quarter of the needs were covered.
The newspaper mentioned that the war in Ukraine and Israel's war on Gaza overshadow the tragedies experienced by the African continent. Out of 26 countries, 14 have requested the United Nations to raise 46.4 billion dollars, with 130 million people in a humanitarian emergency among 300 million worldwide.
The root of these crises is often a combination of causes, like the war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces, leading to the displacement of millions of civilians fleeing the fighting.
Conflicts and Climate Shocks
Nevertheless, the International Rescue Committee, an American non-governmental organization, in its analysis for the countries to watch in 2024, points out that exposure to climate change is one of the factors leading to crises. They say, "they increasingly appear in the same regions and at the same time, and over half of the conflicts since 1995 have occurred in countries most vulnerable to global warming and least able to adapt."
Among the 20 countries the non-governmental organization fears a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in 2024, there are 14 candidates, including 11 African countries. They point out that the experts are concerned about the consequences of the return of the El Niño weather phenomenon in the Horn of Africa, but the International Rescue Committee also does not forget to mention the proliferation of coups and extremely low governance levels in countries facing severe humanitarian crises.
