Without sufficient food for themselves, the Africans don't have enough food for their livestock. As a result, thousands of animals are dying. Furthermore, the dry climate is killing the already-limited vegetation in the East-African area. .
But what caused this situation? And how did it occur without any warning? According to Friedrich-Wilhelm Gerstengarbe, the senior scientist at the German Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the change in temperature and seasonal changes provoked extreme dryness. He stated "The present drought in the Horn of Africa has been provoked by El Niño and La Niña phenomena in the Pacific Ocean, which unsettle the normal circulation of warm and cold water and air, and dislocate the humidity conditions across the southern hemisphere." Both of these are regional causes, phenomena that are natural and occur once every 5-7 years. Due to the recent rise in global temperature, they have been occurring more frequently. During the cold seasons (La Nina), the tropical precipitation and atmospheric air circulation become disrupted. The cold waters suppress cloudiness and rainfall, which leads to hotter temperatures in East-Africa. The decrease in rainfall, combined with the higher temperatures, has caused the worst drought in the Horn of Africa for 60 years. .
More importantly, however, is the action of banks. Banks and other financial speculators are betting on prices in the food market, causing massive spikes in the price of staple goods. Created to help farmers deal with the uncertainty of growing crops, "futures" enable farmers to sell their crops in the future at a guaranteed price. These contracts can be bought and sold by bankers and traders. By buying and selling these contracts strategically, investors can control the price of crops today, regardless of what is happening in the real world. As a result, the price of most staple goods has almost doubled since 2001.