By Kibrom Abay, Clemens Breisinger, Dalia Elsabbagh, Hosam Ibrahim, Ahmed Kamaly, and Mariam Raouf
As in most regions, the coronavirus pandemic evolved rapidly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), starting as a health crisis in mid-March and later escalating into a large-scale economic crisis affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Beyond the devastating health impacts and death tolls from COVID-19, the pandemic has added to other serious challenges currently facing the region. These include low oil prices for oil-exporting countries like the Gulf countries and Libya; ongoing conflicts and political transitions in many countries; and natural disasters such as the locust swarms in Sudan and floods in Yemen. In particular, the pandemic continues to test the functioning of national food systems and expose the vulnerabilities that come with the heavy dependency of most MENA countries on food imports. [...]
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