Food insecurity, natural disasters and conflict are the main causes of internal migration in the Horn of Africa. (Source: Ames News)

The IOM confirmed the figure was higher than the 19.2 million people in June due to an increase in internally displaced people in Burundi, Ethiopia and Sudan, Xinhua news agency reported.

Accordingly, Sudan is the country with the largest number of displaced people (10.7 million), followed by Somalia (3.5 million), Ethiopia (3.3 million) and South Sudan (2 million).

There have been 10.2 million new forcibly displaced people in Sudan, including 7.9 million within the country and 2.1 million in neighbouring countries, since conflict broke out in the country in April 2023.

Other causes of displacement include flooding due to heavy rains and food insecurity, particularly in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, IOM assessed.

Additionally, the Greater Horn of Africa region is home to an estimated 5.4 million refugees and asylum seekers. Uganda currently hosts the largest number of refugees (1.7 million), followed by Ethiopia (1 million) and Kenya (906,000).

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in East Africa recorded that some 67 million people were food insecure in the region in July. Of those, 39 million were in IGAD member countries - including Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda.

The Horn of Africa faces below-average rainfall during the upcoming October-December rainy season, international agencies warned on August 2, which means the number of people displaced by food insecurity will continue to rise.