U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) Ethiopia/Eritrea - Fact Sheet #1 (FY 2000) May 26, 2000
Due to the emerging crisis caused by renewed hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Ethiopia-Drought fact sheet will now be replaced by the Ethiopia/Eritrea-Humanitarian Crisis fact sheet. This new fact sheet will cover the situation and USG response to both the ongoing drought and border conflict. Numbers Affected - According to official estimates of the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (GFDRE), as many as 8.3 million people are currently affected by crisis in Ethiopia. Of this number, more than 600,000 are estimated to be displaced by the border conflict with Eritrea. Due to the third consecutive failure of the secondary harvest, the total number of people affected is expected to increase in the near future. An elevated level of food assistance will most likely be needed in Ethiopia through the mid-2001. - As a result of the recent Ethiopian offensive into Eritrean territory, the Government of the State of Eritrea (GSE) estimates that as many as 550,000 people have been displaced, primarily in the western Gash-Barka region. This is in addition GSE reports of approximately 458,000 people affected by the ongoing drought in Eritrea. Thousands of Eritreans have also reportedly fled to Sudan over the past week to avoid the onslaught of Ethiopian troops. Current Situation - Drought in Ethiopia - Weather: Substantial rainfall continues to fall throughout most of Ethiopia. Although the rains have alleviated some of the water shortage issues, they have also complicated relief distribution by flooding roads and airstrips in certain areas. - Nutrition: According to ICRC, the situation in Fik zone includes high malnutrition rates and a crude mortality rate of 5.9/10,000 people per day. An outbreak of measles has also recently been reported in Fik and Dollo (Somali region). However, ICRC is currently targeting the most vulnerable populations in the zone for food distributions and reports road access to Fik as good. Somali health authorities and UNICEF are responding to the measles outbreak. - Concern Worldwide reports a deterioration of nutrition status in parts of the Southern People's (SNNPR) region. Concern Worldwide is currently assisting 200 children through feeding centers, but expects the number of children in need to increase in the near future. According to Save the Children Fund (SCF)/UK, failure of this year's sweet potato crop in Welayita (SNNPR region) as well as a delayed long cycle harvest (now expected in August) contributed to this deterioration. - Food distribution: Numerous reports indicate that many populations are not receiving full food rations. The GFDRE's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC) had reportedly decreased the standard ration levels in order to conserve emergency stocks, but has since announced intentions to revert to the normal rations now that the food pipeline is adequate for projected needs. - Other: Based on a May 9-12 inter-agency mission (including the DPPC and various UN agencies) in the Somali region, priority needs identified were additional therapeutic and supplementary feeding centers, jerry cans, and cooking utensils. - According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as many as 3 million cattle have perished from the drought, highlighting the need for additional livestock support. Current Situation - Border Conflict - Since the latest outbreak of hostilities on May 12, Ethiopia has pushed farther into Eritrean territory on the western front, including the capture of the cities of Barentu, one of the main supply centers for the Eritrean military, and Zalambessa. Additional fighting has been reported over the past few days in the border areas of Om Hajer (near the Sudanese border), Zalambessa (in the central front), and Bure (on the eastern border). - The Eritrean towns of Barentu and Agordat have been evacuated. The majority of displaced persons are reportedly moving toward areas north of Keren. - The UN Security Council invoked a one-year arms embargo on both Ethiopia and Eritrea on May 17 in an attempt to stem the latest round of fighting. - Due to a departure ordered by the US State Department, the US Embassy and USAID/Asmara evacuated non-essential staff from Eritrea on May 20. However, UN agencies are still operating their emergency programs in the country. U.S. Government Response Ethiopia - Emergency Food Aid: Total planned emergency food assistance for Ethiopia through USAID's Office of Food For Peace (FFP) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) equals 605,510 tons valued at more than $240 million. (Including an additional 61,000 tons that are planned to support ongoing development programs in the country, total USG food assistance to Ethiopia for this fiscal year amounts to $279.1 million.) - As of May 15, more than 162,000 tons of US food aid had arrived at the port of Djibouti. - Non-Food Relief Activities: In fiscal year (FY) 2000 to date, USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) has committed an estimated $11 million to fund emergency water/sanitation, health, nutrition, and logistical support programs in Ethiopia. Newly committed funds toward drought relief efforts include $308,000 to WFP for improvements to the port of Berbera (Somalia) and approximately $500,000 to UNICEF for a measles campaign in the Oromiya region. USAID/OFDA is finalizing plans to provide an additional $500,000 to WFP to support air capacity in the Somali region. - USAID/OFDA deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to the Horn of Africa on May 18 to supplement staff already on the ground. The DART is based in Addis Ababa, but coordinating USG response activities throughout the region in conjunction with US Embassies and USAID Missions. The DART is working closely with host governments, UN agencies, and NGOs operating in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea - Emergency Food Aid: USAID/FFP and USDA plan to provide a total of 50,500 tons of food commodities to drought-affected and displaced populations in Eritrea. This food assistance is valued at approximately $14 million. - Non-Food Relief Activities: To respond to immediate needs of newly displaced populations in Eritrea, USAID/OFDA arranged an airlift of 700 tents, 4,250 blankets, and 1,600 water jugs to arrive in country on May 26. The cost of the total operation is an estimated $240,000. - USAID/OFDA is contributing $300,000 toward WFP's emergency operation to provide 600 tons of high protein biscuits, which provides one week's supply of food to an estimated population of 260,000. - USAID/OFDA provided $50,000 to USAID/Asmara for the procurement of cooking sets for displaced populations. - USAID/OFDA is currently considering additional emergency programs to support war-affected displaced persons. Relief Efforts Ethiopia - Food distribution in drought-affected areas continues to be problematic due to lack of adequate road infrastructure, poor coordination amongst governmental and relief organizations at the field level, and insecurity in various parts of the country. The USG and other organizations continue to coordinate with the DPPC, the entity responsible for food distribution, in order to improve the DPPC's capacity and expedite distribution. - Although data that tracks food delivery from the ports to primary and secondary distribution points is good, comprehensive data on distribution to actual beneficiaries is insufficient. Several organizations, including USAID/Addis Ababa, plan to augment their monitoring staff. Vulnerability assessments are also being conducted to determine if nutritional status is improving as a result of food assistance. - In northern areas close to the border, WFP is holding regular security briefings from its satellite office in Mekele with several NGOs, and continues to monitor the situation. Eritrea - The Eritrean Relief and Refugee Commission (ERREC) is reportedly coordinating humanitarian assistance activities with assistance from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). - Some of the resources originally intended for drought victims are currently being diverted to respond to the immediate needs of populations displaced by the border conflict. - UNHCR reports that it had registered approximately 18,000 Eritrean refugees in three different camps in Sudan as of May 24. Although the influx into Sudan continues, UNHCR believes that several thousand refugees have returned to their villages in Eritrea. - In preparation for any additional influx of refugees, UNHCR is pre-positioning stocks of supplies for as many as 50,000 people. Background - As a result of three years of drought conditions, an estimated 8.3 million people are currently at risk of food insecurity in Ethiopia. The situation is exacerbated by the border conflict with Eritrea that began in May 1998, but has continued with periodic eruptions of violence. The most recent outbreak of fighting began on May 12, 2000. Large populations have been displaced in both countries as a result of the ongoing conflict. - The drought is currently affecting as many as 16 million people in several countries in the Horn of Africa, primarily Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, and Djibouti. However, Ethiopia, chronically food insecure, is by far the worst drought-affected country in the region. U.S. Government Assistance - The following table summarizes USG funding to date in response to the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Country USG Agency Implementing Partner (if applicable) Project/Sector Region (if applicable) Dollar Amount ETHIOPIA USAID/OFDA ACF Water/Nutrition Somali $664,103 American Red Cross Nutrition Amhara $473,811 CARE Water/Livestock Oromiya $879,887 CISP Water Oromiya $332,589 Concern Water/Nutrition SNNPRS $456,370 COOPI Water Oromiya $346,004 ICRC Nutrition Somali $1,000,000 IRC Water Somali $590,933 SCF/UK Water/Nutrition Somali $905,445 SCF/UK Nutrition Amhara $452,267 SCF/US Water Somali $592,577 UNDP-EUE Monitoring/Coordination Ethiopia $150,000 USAID/Addis Ababa Administrative costs N/A $47,600 USAID/Addis Ababa In-kind Contributions Somali $340,291 WFP Airlift Somali $81,000 WFP Port Improvements Djibouti $600,000 WFP Road Rehabilitation Djibouti $1,750,000 World Vision Agriculture Amhara $330,447 WFP Port Improvements Somalia $308,000 UNICEF Health $504,000 Administrative Costs N/A $141,438 Total USAID/OFDA USAID/FFP and USDA N/A Food Assistance All affected regions $242,570,022* Total USG - ETHIOPIA $253,516,784 ERITREA USAID/OFDA USAID/Asmara Airlift/Non-food Commodities $240,000 WFP Airlift $300,000 USAID/Asmara Cooking sets 50,000 Total USAID/OFDA $590,000 USAID/FFP and USDA N/A $13,995,398 Total USG - ERITREA $14,585,398 * This dollar figure represents emergency food assistance designated for both drought and war-affected/displaced victims, but does not include additional food aid planned for this year to support development programs (valued at $36,551,500). Public Donation Information - In the interest of effective coordination of public response, we encourage concerned citizens to provide monetary donations to appropriate organizations. USAID encourages the public to contact directly those private voluntary organizations (PVOs) currently working in the region to provide monetary donations. A list of relevant PVOs may be obtained from the USAID web site (). The list is composed of PVOs that are registered with USAID and/or listed by InterAction, a coalition of voluntary humanitarian and development organizations that work overseas. Information can also be obtained via InterAction's web site at . Those interested in providing specific technical services or commodities should contact Volunteers in Technical Assistance's (VITA) Disaster Information Center for information and guidelines at (703) 276-1914. For more information on the USG's response to the drought in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, please refer to USAID's "Horn of Africa - Drought" information bulletins. USAID/OFDA fact sheets and information bulletins can be obtained from the USAID web site at distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -