UN Warns 48.5 Million in Eastern Africa Need Aid

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported Wednesday that 48.5 million people in Eastern Africa require urgent assistance in 2026. Regional food insecurity intensified during the second quarter, with 40.5 million people facing severe hunger, representing an increase of 1.6 million from the first quarter of 2025. The agency identified South Sudan, Kenya, Sudan, and Tanzania as the areas experiencing the largest increases in food insecurity.

Humanitarian needs are being driven by a combination of conflict, displacement, climate shocks, and disease. The refugee population in the region has risen to 6 million, while cholera cases more than doubled to 12,400 in the second quarter. In Burundi, climate shocks displaced nearly 13,000 people, and Uganda has seen a rise in its refugee population.

Public health risks remain a critical concern. While the current Ebola outbreak is concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the agency warned that the risk of regional spread remains high.