U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) HORN OF AFRICA - Drought Information Bulletin #5, Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 May 18, 2000
Information bulletins on the drought in the Horn of Africa will now be issued on a monthly basis. Information on the situation in Ethiopia is available in USAID's "Ethiopia - Drought" fact sheets. Information on the drought in the Horn of Africa can be found at: http://www.info.usaid.gov/about/horn_of_africa. Background The Horn of Africa is currently facing a humanitarian crisis of serious proportions, primarily due to a severe drought. Factors underlying the crisis include the cumulative effects of poor and unreliable rainfall and other shocks, which have eroded assets and coping strategies in recent years. 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. Ongoing complex emergencies currently exist in Ethiopia/Eritrea (border conflict), Somalia (inter-clan fighting), Sudan (civil conflict), and Uganda (ethnic conflict). Some of the observed impacts of the drought in the Horn of Africa 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 in many areas of these countries. Appointed as Special Envoy on the Drought in the Horn of Africa by the UN Secretary-General, Catherine Bertini of the World Food Programme (WFP) led a UN inter-agency assessment mission in April to Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya. The team concluded that, although the situation in the Horn of Africa has not yet reached the magnitude of a famine, rapid and substantial response is needed to prevent further deterioration of the situation. To coordinate regional relief efforts, the UN Secretary-General appointed Manuel Aranda da Silva as the UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the drought in the Horn of Africa on May 1. Numbers Affected More than 16 million people are currently estimated at risk of food insecurity in the Horn of Africa due to the prolonged drought and ongoing conflicts. Ethiopia faces the most severe crisis, with 8.3 million people currently estimated at risk of food insecurity, and the number likely to rise due to the recent failure of the short harvest. Current Situation Eritrea According to a May 2 report from the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator - Eritrea, an estimated 367,000 people remain in need of food and relief assistance in the three drought-affected zones of Anseba, North Red Sea, and South Red Sea. This number does not include an additional 393,000 persons in need of emergency assistance estimated by the Government of the State of Eritrea (GSE) to be displaced by the border conflict or refugees from neighboring countries. The report mentions that people in affected areas have begun migrating to urban or food secure areas and selling their assets, such as livestock, in order to purchase food commodities. Some of these households are now almost completely dependent on external assistance. As part of the recent UN inter-agency regional tour, Catherine Bertini's team traveled to Eritrea on April 15-17. Priority areas aside from food aid identified by the team include the provision of clean water, basic health care, and livestock support. Both the GSE and the UN state lack of sufficient resources as the primary limitation to response efforts. The current situation in Eritrea has been further complicated by the renewal of fighting with Ethiopia along the border on May 15. The fighting broke out after the Algiers peace talks came to a stalemate on May 5, and a delegation from the UN Security Council was unable to restart the negotiation process. In response to WFP's appeal, the Government of the Netherlands has announced a donation of $2 million for food commodities. The Government of Sweden has also allocated approximately $1 million for education and other programs. Infrastructural capacity to move commodities within the country is relatively strong, including port and airport capacity and road conditions. Rail transport is not a viable option. Somalia An estimated 1.2 million people are currently at risk of food insecurity in Somalia due to drought and continued inter-clan fighting. The pastoralist populations located in Bay and Bakool regions (southern Somalia) are the most vulnerable. Recent rainfall in these two regions has alleviated some of the water shortage, however, these rains must continue through June in order to fully replenish groundwater sources and allow for a normal harvest during the next season. Rainwater accounts for approximately 60% of Somalia's water supply, rivers for 25%, and boreholes for the remaining 15%, but a reported 65% of boreholes are currently not functional. These boreholes will become increasingly important to the water supply should the rains fall short of current needs. In terms of food assistance, WFP plans to distribute 26,000 tons of food commodities during the period April - December. Approximately 22,000 tons of this food is intended for southern Somalia. According to WFP, trucks carrying 320 tons of food recently arrived in Bakool region, and 440 tons of cereals, beans, and oil were delivered to Gedo region in early April. The current WFP pipeline is reportedly sufficient to cover needs through September of this year. Kenya The main areas affected by the drought in Kenya include Coast, Rift Valley, Eastern, and North-Eastern provinces, with an estimated 2.7 million people at risk of food insecurity. The district of Turkana is particularly vulnerable, with an estimated affected population of 250,000. USAID/Nairobi reports that the drought in northern Kenya is worsening due to only sporadic rainfall in many areas. Unless the rains continue past the normal rainy season, which ends in mid-May, increased and prolonged assistance may be needed in the future. The long season harvest is likely to fall short of predictions since only 60% of projected hectares had been planted by the end of April. As a result of reduced supply, grain and bean prices have risen as much as 50% over previous years. Other adverse affects to Kenyan populations include increased child malnutrition rates and deteriorating livestock conditions. A USAID/OFDA Regional Advisor and OFDA/Washington Officer visited the district of Turkana from May 2-5 to assess drought conditions and monitor USAID/OFDA-funded emergency programs. WFP reports plans to distribute 75,000 tons of food commodities valued at $43.4 million to drought-affected populations in Kenya this calendar year. Expected deliveries of food assistance in country for the period April - June equal approximately 43,800 tons. This food is earmarked for the drought emergency (24,500 tons), development programs, and refugee assistance. Should the situation in Kenya continue to deteriorate, estimates of food needs will be revised. Djibouti According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, an estimated population of 200,000 is affected by the drought in Djibouti. As Djibouti enters its hottest season of the year, the Minister of Interior told donors that support for increased capacity to distribute water by tanker and nourishment for herds in place of diminished pastures will be priority needs. Based on a rapid assessment by the UN Country Team, WFP is expected to increase its request for food assistance for the calendar year from 6,000 tons to 7,800 tons. Other identified needs include support for shelter and water projects. Sudan Of the estimated 2.8 million people at risk of food insecurity in southern Sudan, a population of 61,710 is affected by drought conditions. Recent information indicates that the food security situation in southern Sudan is relatively stable, however, WFP reports continued food insecurity in certain isolated areas from drought and conflict resulting in lack of access by relief organizations. One of the worst affected of such areas is reported to be Bieh State in Eastern Upper Nile, with an estimated global malnutrition rate of 33%. The food security situation has deteriorated in Bieh due to a poor harvest last year, delayed rains, and insecurity. However, overall Sudan is less severely affected by the drought than other countries in the Horn of Africa. Forecasts from the Drought Monitoring Center in Nairobi predict near normal rains from May until July of this year. Despite a relatively favorable current situation, however, adequate rainfall will be essential to prolonging the stable situation. USG Assistance Eritrea - USAID/BHR/OFDA is finalizing support for various emergency health/nutrition, water/sanitation, and shelter programs to assist war and drought-affected populations in Eritrea. These activities will be implemented in collaboration with the GSE's Eritrean Relief and Refugee Commission (ERREC). USAID/BHR/OFDA continues to support health, nutrition, and shelter activities to assist war and drought- affected populations in Eritrea through grants obligated in FY 1999. - USAID's Office of Food For Peace (FFP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plan to provide 40,500 tons of food commodities to drought-affected populations in Eritrea. An additional 10,000 tons are planned to meet the needs of displaced and war-affected people. Total planned USG food assistance for Eritrea is valued at approximately $14 million. An estimated 17,500 tons of this food are currently scheduled to arrive in country during the period May-July of this year. Somalia - To date in FY 2000, USAID/OFDA has committed approximately $3.3 million in emergency water, health, and nutrition programs in response to the current drought and complex emergency in Somalia. - USAID/OFDA is finalizing negotiations to fund an additional $4.7 million in emergency programs in Somalia, including two water programs specifically targeting drought victims in northern and southern affected areas. - In response to the drought and complex emergency in Somalia, the USG is providing 24,000 MT of food valued at $14.5 million. Of this total, 10,500 tons have arrived in country to date, and an additional 4,500 tons are expected for delivery during the period May-July. Kenya - In FY 2000 to date, USAID/OFDA has provided more than $400,000 in response to the drought in Kenya. - USAID/OFDA is finalizing plans to fund additional programs in water source rehabilitation, animal health, human health, and nutrition in the drought-affected districts of Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, and Moyale. The cost of these programs is estimated at more than $2.3 million. - In response to the drought in Kenya, the USG has approved 45,297 tons of food commodities, valued at $22.3 million. Some 4,400 tons have been delivered to Kenya to date, and an additional 15,500 tons of emergency food are scheduled for delivery between May and July. Djibouti: - On April 13, the U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti Lange Schermerhorn declared a disaster in Djibouti due to drought. As requested, USAID/BHR/OFDA provided $25,000 through the US Embassy/Djibouti to Caritas for a supplementary feeding program to benefit 1500 malnourished children. - The USG has pledged 2,765 tons of food aid valued at $1.6 million to Djibouti in response to the drought. Sudan: - The USG plans to provide 126,940 tons of food aid valued at about $21.5 million in emergency food aid to Sudan. The bulk of this assistance is earmarked for victims of the ongoing civil conflict, however, an estimated 1,700 tons is intended to benefit drought-affected populations. More than 31,000 tons are scheduled to arrive in Sudan during the period May-July. USAID/BHR/OFDA Assistance to the Horn (including Ethiopia) * $14,000,000 USAID/BHR/FFP/ER and USDA humanitarian food assistance to the Horn* $320,200,000 Total USAID and USDA humanitarian assistance to the Horn* $334,200,000 * All funding figures are approximate for FY 2000 to date. -USAID/BHR/FFP and USDA figures include assistance to both drought-affected persons and IDPs/war-affected populations. distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -