World Tour - A Portuguese festival

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Horn of Africa drought—We begin in the Horn of Africa, where aid workers are warning a perfect storm of multiple crises is fueling unprecedented starvation.

AUDIO: [Sounds from Somalia’s streets]

Four consecutive rainy seasons have disappointed across Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Meteorologists predict October rains could also underwhelm. The region faces its worst drought in at least 40 years.

Clare Nullis is the spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization.

NULLIS: A large body of experts estimates that 16.7 million people currently face high food insecurity and projects figures to increase to 20 million by September.

The lack of rainfall has destroyed crops, killed livestock, and forced people to migrate in search of food and water. All three countries are reporting a significantly higher number of severely malnourished children at treatment centers.

AUDIO: [Woman speaking in Somali]

This Somali mother said the drought has killed the family’s cows and goats and left her child malnourished.

The conflict in Ukraine has also contributed to rising food and fuel prices. The World Food Program said its appeal in February raised less than four percent of the cash needed to help the region.

The United Nations’ children’s agency warned the region would see an “explosion of child deaths” if the world does not widen its gaze from the war in Ukraine.

U.K.-Rwanda deal—Next, to the United Kingdom.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

Britain canceled its first deportation flight scheduled to leave for Rwanda on Tuesday evening, after a last-minute intervention. The European Court of Human Rights ruled the deportation could cost the asylum seekers irreversible harm.

AUDIO: [Tour of Hope Hostel, Rwanda]

The deal, reached in April, would see Britain send refugees to hostels in Rwanda instead of processing them in the U.K.

Several hundred protesters gathered outside the U.K. Home Office in London earlier on Tuesday to oppose the plan. They included Jocelyn Watson.

WATSON: We are one world, one people, and we need to look after all the peoples of the world with the resources that we have to be able to do that. And this country has the resources to take care of people, to keep people here and to help them to reestablish a new life.

An appeals court failed to block the policy on Monday. The Archbishop of Canterbury and 24 other English bishops also wrote an open letter calling the move a—quote—immoral policy that shames Britain.

British officials say the policy will deter deadly and illegal migrant arrivals across the English Channel from France.

Sandstorm in Iraq—We head over to Iraq, where a sandstorm has swept into the streets.

AUDIO: [Sound of streets]

The storm reduced visibility across the city and slowed traffic.

More than nine sandstorms have hit Iraq since April. Experts point to the drought and degrading land conditions as causes of the more frequent storms.

Hospitals continue to admit some patients struggling with respiratory problems from the sandstorms, while the Health Ministry reported at least one death last month.

Portugal celebrates St. Anthony Festival—We wrap up today in Portugal, where people dressed in colorful costumes danced in the streets of Lisbon.

AUDIO: [People dancing in parade]

The crowd was celebrating the Festival of St. Anthony, the city’s patron saint. Members of the parade danced and played music while onlookers cheered them on.

Lisbon did not celebrate the festival over the past two years due to the pandemic.

Paula Cabral was one of the food vendors at the festival.

CABRAL: [Speaking in Portuguese]

She says many people were waiting for the celebration to return to the city.

That’s it for this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

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