NAIROBI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- About 42 million people are estimated to face high levels of acute food insecurity this year across Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said in a report released Tuesday.

In its Regional Focus of the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises, IGAD said hunger levels in the six countries remain alarmingly high. In five of them -- Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda -- the number of people in severe food crisis nearly tripled, rising from 13.9 million in 2016 to 41.7 million in 2025.

The report said acute malnutrition also remains critical across the region, with 11.4 million children aged 6-59 months acutely malnourished across seven IGAD member states, and 3.1 million in need of urgent lifesaving treatment.

Although improved rainfall in 2024 and early 2025 boosted crop and livestock production, those gains were eroded by flooding, localized conflicts, and economic shocks that limited access to food, the report added.

Anthony Awira, director of planning, coordination, and partnerships at IGAD, who launched the report on behalf of Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu, warned that the crisis could undermine economic resilience, stability, peace, and cohesion, underscoring the need for a coordinated response.

"Through collective action, working across governments, regional institutions, and partners, we can address the root causes of vulnerability and create lasting solutions for our people," Amira said. ■