Dozens of bishops from drought-ravaged east Africa have appealed to the UK government to urgently get more funding to those in need, warning that Britain’s rapid response to the Ukraine crisis must not come at the expense of lives elsewhere. As the worst drought for four decades tightens its grip on Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, with millions facing acute hunger, the group of 44 Anglican bishops criticised the international community for not paying attention to early warnings or backing up rhetoric with sufficient funds. “This must change,” write the faith leaders in an open letter seen by the Guardian. “Every day, more lives are lost, and more are at risk.” The group, which includes Justin Badi Arama, archbishop of South Sudan, said that while “another famine is on the horizon”, it is not inevitable. The bishops write: “We call on the UK government to urgently get more funding to the frontline of the hunger crisis in east Africa, and to mobilise the international community to collectively step up. “Early warnings were not heeded. Existing commitments to strengthen resilience have not been backed up by funding that is so desperately needed.” The intervention comes as the UN forecasts a fifth failed rainy season for the Horn of Africa, and is understood to be an attempt to appeal to the conscience of the UK government. Under Boris Johnson, Britain slashed the foreign aid budget by £4bn as it cut the percentage of gross national income from 0.7% to 0.5%. Liz Truss, tipped to follow Johnson as PM, unveiled a new aid strategy earlier this year that was condemned by the opposition as a “double whammy to the world’s poor”. For Ukraine, the UK government says it has provided £220m in humanitarian assistance (a sum dwarfed by the £2.3bn of military support pledged). The bishops, from Kenya and South Sudan, commend that “generous” effort, but warn: “This should not … be a reason to divert humanitarian resources away from regions also in dire need, such as ours. “Saint Paul wrote that we are all part of one body, we are interdependent. For the sake of the whole body, sisters and brothers, we need your help.” The message came as a ship carrying wheat from Ukraine to the Horn of Africa docked in Djibouti, the first to make the journey since the war began in February. The 23,000 tonnes of grain are destined for Ethiopia and will cover 1.5 million people’s needs for a month, a World Food Programme spokesperson said. He cautioned, however, that the delivery was a start that must be followed up by more shipments. The bishops’ letter was backed by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who said: “The crisis in east Africa has been building for at least two years and is now devastating the people of the area and threatening worse. I appeal to our government and to the people of this country: please step forward to enable food to be purchased.” Arama, whose country was the last to declare a famine in some regions, and is prone to severe flooding, said: “People are dying from starvation … We need the international community to act now to help prevent widespread famine. The UK government can help by leading from the front.” Karimi Kinoti of Christian Aid, which is responding to drought pressures in Ethiopia and Kenya, welcomed the letter. “Ministers must speed up the delivery of funding that has already been promised, reverse cuts to international aid and ensure all humanitarian and development funding supports local actors who are best placed to respond quickly,” she said. A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “The UK has spent £76m so far this year on humanitarian efforts in east Africa, where food insecurity has been made worse by the disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”