Drought in Africa adds pressure to religious groups, relief organizations

A woman scoops water from a dry riverbed in Machakos in eastern Kenya in 2009. The drought has worsened along the horn of Africa. Photo courtesy Fredrick Nzwili

Fredrick Nzwili | March 18, 2016

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Churches in eastern and southern Africa are appealing for humanitarian aid in the region, as 36 million people grapple with the worst drought in decades.

Linked to extreme El Nino weather conditions, the drought has hit countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Malawi and Zimbabwe, among others. The conditions have reversed normal weather patterns, upsetting people’s livelihoods.

“In parts of Somaliland, where people live on livestock and agriculture, the problem is serious,” said Roman Catholic Bishop Georgio Bertin of Djibouti, a country in the horn of Africa.

In 2011, a drought made worse by Islamic terrorism forced thousands of Somalis into a refugee complex in northeastern Kenya.

http://www.religionnews.com/2016/03/18/drought-in-africa-adds-pressure-to-religious-groups-relief-organizations/