On 21 May 2019 FEWS NET issued an East Africa food-security alert saying the March–June Gu/long rains had stayed well below average across much of the Horn, and that emergency needs would likely grow through the second half of the year.
The alert expected Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes in parts of northern and central Somalia and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) across southeastern Ethiopia, pastoral Kenya, and parts of southern Somalia, with peak need between July and October.
Poor crop harvests, weak livestock body conditions, and higher local food prices were forecast to cut poor households’ access to food. Agencies were told to scale up food, water, and malnutrition response immediately.
Kept as Horn food-security archive, the May 2019 FEWS NET alert remains a dated baseline for drought cycles that still shape Ethiopia–Somalia–Kenya planning.
Sources: ReliefWeb / FEWS NET