East Africa has been rocked by a drought that has left more than four million in Kenya needing handouts in the form of food and fresh water. Three failed rainy season in a row have Kenya in the midst of its worst drought in over a decade. Nearly twenty million people in East Africa are currently being affected by the droughts which have ravaged Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.
The lack of rain has at least four million in Kenya relying on foreign aid, which has been coming in more slowly than recent years. The global recession has people and organizations giving less money to aid organizations than in years past. The lack of aid has driven food prices up considerably, and fierce battles have raged at points of delivery for both water and food.
With less aid coming in and crops failing due to lack of water, the cost of food in Kenya has risen more than one hundred and thirty percent over the last year. This has created a black market where food and water donations are being stole and resold to the public with huge markups. Aid organizations have reported that in Kenya there are fights at the water delivery points and that further violence and bloodshed are almost inevitable as the drought takes a bigger toll.
The battle for resources has extended into the animal kingdom, where millions of animals are being affected, leading to uncharacteristic behavior by animals. There have been multiple reports of babies being snatched from refugee camps by hyenas, who normally never attack unless provoked.
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