Disasters Meet Political Unrest, Displacing Millions in East Africa

Jul 1, 2020 | Clémentine André, Ivana Hajzmanova, and Maria Teresa Miranda Espinosa
View Original

In recent weeks, our news channels have been flooded with stories about the Covid-19 pandemic, political and social unrest around the world, natural hazards upending people’s lives, and even a locust infestation, which surfaced in Sub-Saharan Africa then migrated towards Asia, destroying crops and pushing vulnerable communities to the brink of starvation. But what happens when all these factors collide in one place? You get a perfect storm of displacement triggers, like the one currently unfolding in East Africa. Flooding from heavy rain continues to destroy homes and livelihoods. Entire displaced communities struggle to seek shelter due to the risk of overcrowding and therefore contamination from Covid-19. Homeless, and with the threat of the virus and wider political changes hanging overhead, they lack the means to feed or provide for their families.