Background

The Horn of Africa is currently facing a humanitarian crisis of serious proportions, primarily due to a severe drought. The worst drought-affected populations are pastoralists in southern and eastern Ethiopia, southern Somalia, and northern Kenya. Other countries affected by the drought include Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, and Uganda. Conflict and insecurity in many of these countries have exacerbated the current humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa. Some of the observed impacts of the drought consist of increased stress migration to urban or food secure areas, crop failure, the loss or sale of assets such as livestock, increased food prices coupled with decreased profits from assets, and tensions heightened by lack of basic resources. According to USAID’s Famine Early Warning System (FEWS), this year’s main rainy seasons began later than usual in southeast Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and the southern half of southern Sudan.

On June 7, the United Nations (UN) launched a regional appeal to address the current needs of populations affected by the drought in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti. Priority needs identified in the appeal included food assistance, health initiatives, and provision of clean water. Additional sectoral needs discussed in the appeal were shelter, sanitation facilities, nutrition, livestock restocking, seeds and agriculture, and logistics support. The appeal included new needs arising from a deterioration of the situation in certain areas as well as unmet needs from previously launched, country-specific appeals.