8 million children in Africa face acute hunger as El Niño approaches

By early 2027, an estimated 8 million children in East and Southern Africa could face acute hunger, a 30 % jump from 2022 levels, according to a new analysis by Save the Children. The rise is driven by one of the strongest El Niño weather events in recent memory, which is expected to hit the region in 2025‑26 and persist into 2027. If the projected droughts and crop failures materialise, the number of children at risk will climb faster than the current 2 million already suffering from severe food insecurity.

El Niño is a climate pattern that brings warmer ocean temperatures to the Pacific, altering wind and rain patterns worldwide. In East Africa, it typically reduces rainfall in the long rains season, leaving farms dry and livestock stressed. The 2023‑24 event was the strongest in a decade, already pushing up food prices and cutting harvests in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Climate scientists say that warming seas are making El Niño events more frequent and intense, and the 2025‑26 season is forecast to be no different. The combination of lower yields, higher import costs, and the lingering effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic’s supply‑chain disruptions is putting a squeeze on already fragile food systems.

Save the Children’s report notes that 3 million children are currently experiencing acute hunger, with 1.5 million at risk of wasting. Governments and donors have pledged emergency aid, but the projected shortfall in food stocks could outstrip the supply of relief supplies. The organisation is calling for an immediate 10 % increase in funding for school‑based feeding programmes and emergency nutrition interventions. The United Nations World Food Programme has warned that the region could see a 15 % rise in the number of people needing food assistance if El Niño persists.

The next months will be critical. Countries will need to accelerate adaptation measures, such as drought‑resistant seed varieties and improved irrigation, while international donors must lock in longer‑term commitments. Failure to act could trigger a new wave of migration and conflict as communities compete for scarce resources. For the 8 million children at risk, the coming years will decide whether they survive the next El Niño or fall further into the cycle of hunger that threatens their future.