Five Biggest Humanitarian Crises in 2021

The year 2021 looks uncertain and unpredictable. Covid-19 has dominated our headlines, often taking the light away from other issues. Many developing countries have been silently suffering, as they’ve been struggling to cope amidst the pandemic, which has intensified and exacerbated the many inequalities and injustices millions of people face and have made on-going humanitarian needs more difficult to cope with.

There are many different humanitarian crises around the globe and its impossible to dilute them down into a list of five, but this list is here to show some of the biggest. The UN and different agencies have repeatedly expressed concern for these crises, and they have been put on many watchlists, many for two or three consecutive years.

1.Yemen: Risk of widespread famine under on-going conflict.

Yemen is a country with a population of 29.8 million and 24.3 million Yemenis need humanitarian aid, this includes 12 million children.

Yemen is currently considered the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world that needs urgent aid and assistance and is on multiple different watchlists and is of great concern for the United Nations. The crisis in Yemen is arguably the most spoken about and reported out of any current humanitarian disaster.

The country’s collapse is predominately because of long-term armed conflict, with things intensifying in 2015. War, an unstable economy, severe under-funding and now the Covid-19 pandemic has created large-spread hunger – with the risk of major famine becoming more acute for the majority of Yemenis. The UN has reported that an estimated 16 million civilians in Yemen will face severe hunger in 2021 and around 400,000 Yemeni children under the age of five could die from starvation in 2021.

For years now, there has been concerns and investigations into war crimes being committed by the Saudi-led coalition, as the war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of innocent lives, including children, being lost.

The lack of funding from donor countries has also amplified this humanitarian catastrophe, with many nations making massive aid funding cuts amidst the pandemic – such as the UK.

For a more in-depth look at the situation in Yemen, check out this article.

2. Syria: Conflict causes massive displacement and is a threat to humanitarians.

Syria has a population of 17.5 million people and of this number, an estimated 13 million Syrians need aid.

Syria has been on multiple different watchlists for multiple consecutive years and the UN has put the country on their list for one of its biggest concerns in regard to humanitarian crises to watch out for in 2021.

The Syrian civil war began in 2011 and a decade later, the country is still plagued with violence that has resulted in millions of Syrians to flee their homes. Currently, 6.7 million Syrians are internally displaced and an additional 6.6 million Syrians are refugees, seeking safety in other countries – with the majority of refugees relocating to Syria’s neighbouring countries such as, Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan.

Syria is the deadliest country for aid workers and humanitarians. Many have been killed and attacks on civilians, homes and hospitals is common, leaving those affected living amongst perpetual violence. Syria has the highest number of attacks on aid workers and most aid worker deaths in 2019.

The pandemic has put a massive strain on Syria’s health system, which was already failing, and due to the risk for aid workers helping in healthcare services, only half of the country’s health facilities are functioning. The risk and restrictions put on aid workers has massively reduced the flow of paramount and lifesaving assistance.

An unstable and corrupt government, war, failing healthcare facilities, lack of education and basic human needs being neglected has turned Syria into one of the worst humanitarian crises that needs urgent action and aid.

3.The Democratic Republic of the Congo: A severe hunger crisis and disease outbreaks.

DRC has a population of 89.6 million people. 19.6 million people living in DRC need humanitarian aid. The amount of people needing aid and protection has increased significantly, as the amount in 2020 was 15.6 million.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing a severe hunger crisis and currently has the highest number of people experiencing severe hunger than any other county. DRC has been riddled with a major humanitarian crisis for four decades now. According to a report by the World Food Programme, 21.8 million people in DRC are facing acute food insecurity. The UN has also reported that more than 3.4 million children under the age of five in DRC will suffer from acute malnutrition.

The DRC humanitarian crisis is a long-standing and complex issue. The country has faced long-term violence and conflict – forcing those affected to flee their homes causing major displacement. Conflict and hunger fuel one another and other issues such as education, healthcare and infrastructure are compounding DRC’s humanitarian challenges.

Additional pressure has been put on the country’s services and infrastructure by the Covid-19 pandemic, which is worsening the hunger crisis. DRC are now having to grapple with another Ebola outbreak.

4.Ethiopia: Conflict continues to fuel humanitarian needs.

With a population of 115 million, 21.3 million of those need aid and protection. Ethiopia continues to have one of the largest humanitarian crises. This number is twice as many as it was in 2019.

A multitude of factors have intensified the Ethiopian crisis and the country is now entering 2021 with a major confrontation underway in the northern Tigray region between the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Ethiopia is facing violence and conflict in all different regions and a fragile political transition.

The conflict has resulted with tens of thousands of people fleeing to neighbouring countries such as Sudan, and more than two million people internally displaced.

Climate change, the biggest locust outbreak, Covid-19, limited food supplies and increasing insecurity are driving factors for this humanitarian disaster.

The locust outbreak directly effects people’s livelihoods and food supply.

According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, a swarm of 40-80 million locusts can consume the amount of food equivalent to that eaten by 35,000 people in a day.

5.Burkina Faso: A fast-growing humanitarian crisis.

Burkina Faso is suffering from an urgent and escalating humanitarian crisis that seems to be more neglected by the main-stream media. The country has a population of 20.9 million and 3.5 million need aid and assistance, a 60% increase in a year.

In only two years, the country has rapidly deteriorated, mainly in the northern and eastern regions due to non-state armed groups and other forms of violence and conflict. The country virtually had no mass conflict or displacement two years ago, so the sharp increase is of great worry for humanitarian organisations and agencies.

The conflict has targeted the most fragile regions of the country, in terms of political marginalisation, climate variability and climate change and lack of economic opportunity, especially for youths.

The conflict has left more than one million people in displacement. The conflict has drove rates of food insecurity and malnutrition to alarming levels and with outbreaks of Covid-19, the country needs to urgent help.