Human consequences
Overcrowded relief camps; hundreds of thousands of people are forcibly resettled.
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FamineEthiopian famine
1MDeaths
Not quantifiedDisplaced / homeless
Not quantifiedEstimated cost
- Estimates of 400,000 to 1 million deaths.
A severe drought combines with civil war and the policies of the Derg military regime, which uses famine as a weapon against rebel regions.
Consequences
Environmental consequences
Soil degradation and deforestation in the highlands.
Economic consequences
Subsistence farming collapses in the north of the country.
Political consequences
BBC footage sparks Band Aid and then the Live Aid concert (1985), which transforms media-driven humanitarianism.
Further reading
Similar disasters
- Bengal famineFamine · British India (today’s India and Bangladesh)1943 – 1944
- Great Chinese FamineFamine · China1959 – 1961
- Great Irish FamineFamine · Ireland (United Kingdom)1845 – 1852
- Lake Nyos disasterVolcano · Cameroon1986
In the rankings : The deadliest disasters in history No. 10
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