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Horn of Africa |
Disaster Assistance at a Glance
Recent Disaster Declaration:
Complex Emergency, Drought
OFDA Response:
Agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, emergency relief supplies, health, humanitarian coordination and information management, nutrition, protection, shelter and settlements, water, sanitation, and hygiene
Latest OFDA Report:
Humanitarian Assistance in Review, FY 2002-2011 (275kbPDF)
Horn of Africa Fact Sheet #15 (418kb PDF)
and map (1.01mb PDF)
USG Horn of Africa Funding Chart (112kb
PDF)
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Most Recent Disaster Declarations:
Kenya - Drought, 10-28-2011
Consecutive seasons of poor rainfall have resulted in continued food security deterioration among populations in Kenya, particularly in the nation’s northern and eastern arid and semi-arid lands. Affected populations are experiencing a loss of livelihoods, a lack of food and agricultural resources, and limited clean water necessary to maintain adequate health and nutrition standards. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, unfavorable rains resulted in a severe shortage of grazing resources for livestock, and deteriorating livestock health and livestock deaths contributed to livelihoods losses among vulnerable pastoralists. Lower-than-expected yields and complete crop failures in some agricultural areas increased market prices for agricultural products, and levels of acute malnutrition increased in areas of northern, eastern, and northwestern Kenya. The October to December 2011 short rains are expected to be near- to above-average in most drought-affected areas, although a single rainy season will not be sufficient to ensure a full recovery among affected populations. Therefore, significant humanitarian assistance and food needs will persist into 2012. As of September 8, approximately 4.3 million people in Kenya required humanitarian assistance, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
On October 28, 2011, U.S. Ambassador J. Scott Gration renewed the Kenya drought disaster declaration for FY 2012. In FY 2011, USAID/OFDA provided more than $26.6 million in humanitarian programming, including support for agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, humanitarian coordination and information management, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, as well as the provision of logistics support and relief commodities.
Ethiopia – Complex Emergency, 10-19-2011
Consecutive seasons of failed rains combined with a rapidly growing population, inflation, localized conflict, and endemic poverty contributed to an ongoing complex emergency in Ethiopia. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, drought conditions resulting from La Niña weather patterns resulted in water shortages throughout Ethiopia, exacerbating humanitarian conditions. In addition to below-normal harvests, failed rains resulted in pasture and water shortages for livestock, leading pastoralists to crowd animals around limited grazing resources, increasing the risk of livestock disease spread. Deteriorating animal health led to decreased market prices for livestock, and pastoralist families that rely on milk for their children experienced shortages due to animals’ limited ability to produce milk. Acute malnutrition rates surpassed emergency threshold levels, and the influx of drought- and conflict-affected refugees and livestock, particularly from Somalia and Sudan, increased pressure on limited food, water, and pasture. As of September 29, 2011, approximately 4.8 million people in Ethiopia remained in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
On October 19, 2011, U.S. Ambassador Donald E. Booth renewed the Ethiopia complex emergency disaster declaration for FY 2012. In FY 2011, USAID/OFDA provided more than $35.3 million in humanitarian programming, including support for agriculture and food security, health, humanitarian coordination and information management, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, as well as the provision of logistics support and relief commodities.
Somalia – Complex Emergency, 10-13-2011
As of October 2011, six regions of Somalia remained famine-affected, exacerbating the ongoing complex emergency in the country generated by widespread violence, endemic poverty, and recurring droughts and floods. Approximately 3.3 million people in Somalia required lifesaving assistance, while more than 900,000 Somalis had fled to neighboring Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Yemen due to the famine and insecurity, according to the U.N. Of those requiring lifesaving assistance, an estimated 2.6 million were located in southern Somalia, where humanitarian access remained restricted. In September 2011, the U.N. reported that approximately 750,000 individuals living in famine zones were at risk of death absent an immediate increase in humanitarian assistance. In addition, an estimated 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), approximately one-third of whom live in overcrowded, informal settlements within Mogadishu, remained susceptible to communicable diseases due to limited access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and health services. Relief agencies continued to escalate efforts to provide assistance in October, but insecurity and restricted access hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Despite normal onset of the October to December deyr rains, areas of southern Somalia were expected to deteriorate into or remain in famine, as of October, according to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network. In addition, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) forecast increased vulnerability among pastoral communities in northern and central Somalia—particularly in Nugaal, Mudug, Bari, Sool, and Sanaag regions—in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 due to drought-related loss of livestock.
On October 13, 2011, U.S. Ambassador James C. Swan, Special Representative for Somalia, redeclared a disaster due to the ongoing complex emergency. In FY 2011, USAID/OFDA provided nearly $47 million to support agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, health, humanitarian coordination and information management, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, as well as the provision of logistics support and relief commodities.
Additional Disaster Declarations:
Ethiopia - Drought, 02-04-2011
Failure of the October to December 2010 short rains due to La Niña weather patterns has resulted in water shortages throughout Ethiopia, particularly affecting Somali and Oromiya regions, as well as Tigray, Amhara, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s (SNNP) regions, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Decreased water availability for human and animal consumption has adversely affected livestock health, crop yield, and food security in recent months, negatively impacting health and nutrition conditions among affected populations. In addition, OCHA reports that worsening pasture conditions have led to abnormal and increasing livestock migrations, including an influx of livestock from the drought-affected neighboring countries of Kenya and Somalia. According to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), drought conditions are expected to intensify through mid-2011 due to the continued effects of La Niña and high probability of failed or delayed April to June long rains.
On February 4, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tulinabo S. Mushingi declared a disaster due to the effects of the drought. Priority needs include food security, health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance. USAID/OFDA staff in Washington, D.C., and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, continue to monitor humanitarian needs and are developing a response strategy to provide immediate assistance in coordination with USAID/Ethiopia and the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa.
Kenya - Drought, 1-28-2011
Following unfavorable October to December 2010 short rains, food security among pastoralists in northern Kenya and rain-dependent marginal agricultural areas has sharply deteriorated. Most affected districts include Garissa, Mandera, and Wajir in North Eastern Province; Isiolo and Marsabit in Eastern Province; and Tana River in Coast Province. A severe shortage of grazing resources, particularly water, has resulted in abnormal migrations, whereby pastoralists travel long distances and group livestock in areas of limited remaining pasture and water. Humanitarian partners report that livestock prices have fallen and body conditions have deteriorated markedly, with milk production declining significantly for the majority of affected households. USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, USAID/OFDA, and USAID/Kenya Agriculture, Business and Environment Office staff conducted assessments of drought-affected areas from January 12 through 28, finding almost complete failure of the maize crop in assessed areas. In addition, assessment results in pastoral areas further confirmed the need for humanitarian assistance to mitigate the effects of failed rain on food security and livelihoods.
On January 28, U.S. Ambassador Michael E. Ranneberger declared a disaster due to the effects of the drought. Priority needs include water, food security, and livelihoods assistance. USAID/OFDA staff in Washington, D.C., and Nairobi, Kenya, continue to monitor humanitarian needs and work to develop appropriate response options in coordination with USAID/Kenya and the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.
Somalia - Complex Emergency, 10-7-2010
Since 1991, widespread violence, endemic poverty, recurrent droughts, and floods have generated a complex emergency in Somalia. From December 2006 to January 2009, fighting between the Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, and armed militias opposed to the TFG led to further deterioration in humanitarian conditions. Following January 2009 Ethiopian troop withdrawals, conflict between armed militia groups in Somalia continues to displace populations and limit humanitarian access to affected areas. As a result, more than 600,000 Somali refugees have fled the country and approximately 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain uprooted within Somalia, including long-term IDPs and those displaced by recent fighting.
The combined effects of consecutive seasons of failed or poor rainfall, conflict, rising inflation, displacement, and diarrheal disease outbreaks have exacerbated food insecurity and resulted in increased acute malnutrition rates. Humanitarian agencies report that one in six children in Somalia is acutely malnourished while one in 42 is severely malnourished. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit, approximately 2 million people continue to require humanitarian assistance in Somalia as of August 2010. U.N. and partner agencies are coordinating efforts to improve access to affected populations, but insecurity and targeted attacks against relief staff continue to hinder the provision of emergency assistance.
On October 7, 2010, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Lee A. Brudvig redeclared a disaster due to the ongoing complex emergency in Somalia. In FY 2010, USAID/OFDA provided more than $16 million to support agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, health, humanitarian coordination and information management, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, as well as logistics support and relief commodities.
Ethiopia - Complex Emergency, 10-25-2010
Despite temporary improvements in food security due to above-normal June to July 2010 Belg harvests, a significant proportion of the population remains food insecure in Ethiopia. Consecutive failed seasons of rains, a rapidly growing population, inflation, and endemic poverty have contributed to food and water insecurity in large areas of Ethiopia, including Somali Region and parts of Afar, Amhara, Oromiya, Tigray, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) regions. According to the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (GFDRE), 5.2 million people required emergency food assistance nationwide in 2010. In addition, 8.3 million chronically food insecure beneficiaries receive cash or food support through the GFDRE Productive Safety Net Program. Land degradation and poor access to health services, safe drinking water, and markets limit vulnerable populations’ ability to weather shocks.
On October 25, 2010, U.S. Ambassador Donald E. Booth redeclared a disaster due to the ongoing complex emergency in Ethiopia. In FY 2010, USAID/OFDA provided more than $23 million for humanitarian interventions in Ethiopia. USAID/OFDA ongoing humanitarian assistance programs in Ethiopia include nutrition, agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, health, humanitarian coordination and information management, logistics and relief supplies, and water, sanitation and hygiene interventions.
For information on additional USAID disaster responses, please see OFDA Annual Reports.
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