NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 24 — The number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity across six East African countries has nearly tripled over the past decade to 40.3 million, as conflict, drought, economic shocks and displacement deepen a regional hunger crisis.The figure represents 34 per cent of the population covered by the 2026 analysis, meaning more than one in three people assessed are facing high levels of acute food insecurity.According to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the number has risen from 13.9 million in 2016 to 40.3 million in 2026, a 190 per cent increase.Charity Mumbua, a food security specialist at IGAD, said the figures should be treated as a warning requiring a change in how governments and humanitarian agencies respond to food crises.“These are not just statistics. As our deputy executive secretary stated, it is a call for action,” Mumbua said.She said the region’s food crisis was being driven by multiple shocks acting together, including extreme weather, conflict, economic instability and displacement.Sudan remains the region’s largest and most severe food crisis, with 19.5 million people, or 41% of its population, projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between February and May 2026.South Sudan has the highest prevalence, with 55% of its population estimated to be facing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity between April and July.The crisis is also worsening in Somalia and Kenya.Nearly 6.5 million people in Somalia, equivalent to 33% of the population, faced crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity between February and March 2026, an increase of 1.9 million from the 2025 peak.In Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands, 4.1 million people, including nearly 429,500 refugees, faced high levels of acute food insecurity between April and June 2026 — a 46 per cent increase, or nearly 1.3 million more people, from the 2025 peak.The report said failed October-December 2025 rains reduced food production in southeastern Ethiopia, eastern Kenya and much of Somalia, while below-average rains in other parts of the region have continued to threaten agricultural production.At the same time, the forecast strengthening of El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole are expected to bring above-average rainfall to eastern parts of the region during the October-December 2026 season.While the rains could improve crop and livestock production, IGAD warned that excessive rainfall could increase flooding risks in eastern and southern Ethiopia, eastern Kenya, central and southern Somalia and parts of Uganda.Conflict remains another major driver.The report identified the war in Sudan as the leading conflict-related driver of food insecurity in the region, while escalating violence in parts of South Sudan has disrupted livelihoods, displaced communities and restricted humanitarian access.In Somalia, conflict and drought have continued to drive displacement and undermine livelihoods.The scale of the humanitarian crisis is also reflected in nutrition figures. More than 9 million children aged between six and 59 months across the six countries are estimated to need treatment for acute malnutrition, including 2.3 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition and requiring urgent lifesaving treatment.The region is also home to about 19 million forcibly displaced people, including 14.5 million internally displaced people and 4.5 million refugees and asylum-seekers.Sudan accounts for 8.6 million internally displaced people, while South Sudan has recorded further displacement linked to renewed conflict. Somalia has also seen displacement driven by both drought and insecurity.IGAD said the convergence of food insecurity, malnutrition and displacement was being compounded by cuts in humanitarian funding, making it increasingly difficult to respond to crises after they emerge.Mumbua called for a shift from reactive relief toward anticipation and investment.“First, from response to anticipation so that focus triggers finance and action before shocks become crises. Second, from relief to investment so that agri-food systems, livelihoods and markets are rebuilt to withstand the next shock. And third, from national to action, because hunger crosses borders with people, livestock, pets and prices and our answers must do the same,” she said.IGAD also warned that gaps in food-security data remain a major obstacle to timely intervention, calling for stronger information systems to support evidence-based decisions.