Kenya hasn’t seen a drop of rain for several years and is now facing a devastating drought, the worst in the last decade. Livestock and crops are dying and people are getting weaker every day. The lack of resources in Kenya and in neighboring countries is sparking intertribal conflicts as communities fight for limited grazing land and water. The spread of weapons are turning those conflicts bloody.
Agriculture has fallen as arid lands stretch towards the capital of Nairobi, where water taps have run dry causing increased tensions in the neglected slums. Tourism, the second heart of the Kenyan economy, is in jeopardy. Wild animals are dying of hunger and thirst in the parks, while predators have started getting closer to the villages, killing cattle to get drinkable water from their stomachs.
Aid organizations have been warning of a catastrophe for months. Until now, nothing has happened. The Kenyan government has been unable to take the proper steps to improve the situation – halted by political divisions and corruption – while no real relief operation has yet started.
Droughts in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea are not unusual. But Kenya is one of the most developed countries of the continent, and a key ally to the West in East Africa. In a time of great debate on climate change, with Kenya on the brink of a disaster, the international community cannot afford to keep it eyes shut.
Agriculture has fallen as arid lands stretch towards the capital of Nairobi, where water taps have run dry causing increased tensions in the neglected slums. Tourism, the second heart of the Kenyan economy, is in jeopardy. Wild animals are dying of hunger and thirst in the parks, while predators have started getting closer to the villages, killing cattle to get drinkable water from their stomachs.
Aid organizations have been warning of a catastrophe for months. Until now, nothing has happened. The Kenyan government has been unable to take the proper steps to improve the situation – halted by political divisions and corruption – while no real relief operation has yet started.
Droughts in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea are not unusual. But Kenya is one of the most developed countries of the continent, and a key ally to the West in East Africa. In a time of great debate on climate change, with Kenya on the brink of a disaster, the international community cannot afford to keep it eyes shut.
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