Hillary ORINDE
Wed, May 24, 2023
Somalia and its neighbours in the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia and Kenya have been suffering the worst drought in four decades
More than a million Somalis have been displaced within their own country in just over four months through a "toxic" mix of drought, conflict and floods, humanitarian agencies said Wednesday.
Around 433,000 people were forced from their homes between January 1 and May 10 as a grinding Islamist insurgency raged and clashes broke out in the breakaway Somaliland region, the UN refugee agency UNHCR and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said.
in addition, "over 408,000 people were displaced by floods sweeping across their villages and another 312,000 people were displaced by ravaging drought," they said in a joint statement.
Somalia and its neighbours in the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia and Kenya have been suffering the worst drought in four decades after five failed rainy seasons that have left millions of people in need and decimated crops and livestock.
UN chief Antonio Guterres and world governments are meeting in New York on Wednesday at a conference to seek funding of $7 billion to help those in need across the region.
The number of people displaced within Somalia's borders now stands at 3.8 million, with 6.7 million people struggling to find food, according to the UNHCR and NRC.
More than half a million children are severely malnourished, they added.
"These are alarming figures of some of the most vulnerable people forced to abandon the little that they had to head for the unknown," said Mohamed Abdi, the NRC's country director in Somalia.
"We can only fear the worst in the coming months as all the ingredients of this catastrophe are boiling in Somalia."
Most of the families have fled the Hiraan region in central Somalia and Gedo in the south of the country of 17 million people and are arriving in overcrowded urban areas, putting a strain on already stretched resources.
- 'Human tragedy' -
The agencies called for urgent and greater investment to combat the crises "otherwise we will never see the end of this unfolding human tragedy," said Magatte Guisse, UNHCR's representative in Somalia.
Currently, aid agencies have received only 22 percent of funding to meet their needs for Somalia this year.
Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab jihadists have been fighting the fragile central government since 2007 and control parts of the countryside from where they have carried out numerous attacks both in Somalia and in neighbouring countries.
Meanwhile flash flooding has hit central Somalia since May after heavy rainfall sent water gushing into homes in Beledweyne town in Hiraan, submerging roads and buildings and killed 22 people.
The Horn of Africa has been scarred by protracted armed conflicts and climate disasters with the World Food Programme (WFP) warning on Wednesday that crises were far from over.
"The last three years of drought has left more than 23 million people across parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia facing severe hunger," the WFP said in a statement, adding that it would take years for the region to recover.
OCHA said last week that while famine "has been prevented" in the region, the humanitarian emergency was not over.
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UN conference pledges $2.4 bn to head off Horn of Africa famine
United Nations (United States) (AFP) – A UN-backed conference raised $2.4 billion Wednesday to prevent famine in the Horn of Africa, which is reeling from its worst drought in decades as global temperatures rise.
Issued on: 24/05/2023 - 
United Nations (United States) (AFP) – A UN-backed conference raised $2.4 billion Wednesday to prevent famine in the Horn of Africa, which is reeling from its worst drought in decades as global temperatures rise.
Issued on: 24/05/2023 -
Meteorologists and aid agencies have warned of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the Horn of Africa
© EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP/File
The money will provide life-saving assistance for nearly 32 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, the world body's humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement.
"Famine has been averted, thanks in part to the tremendous efforts of local communities, humanitarian organizations and authorities, as well as the support of donors," OCHA said.
But the sum is considerably less than the $7 billion the United Nations says is needed to provide help to people affected by drought and conflict in the region.
"The emergency is far from over, and additional resources are urgently required to prevent a return to the worst-case scenario," OCHA added.
Since late 2020, countries in the Horn of Africa -- Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan -- have been suffering the region's worst drought in 40 years.
Five failed rainy seasons have left millions of people in need, decimated crops and killed millions of livestock.
More than 23.5 million people are enduring high levels of acute food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, according to OCHA.
In Somalia alone, which is also in the throes of an Islamist insurgency, the number of people displaced from their homes now stands at 3.8 million, with 6.7 million people struggling to find food, according to figures from the UN and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
More than half a million children are severely malnourished, they added.
Deaths from hunger are on the rise in Africa because of droughts worsened by climate change and conflict, UN officials and scientists say.
The devastating drought in the Horn of Africa could not have occurred without the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, an international team of climate scientists, said in a report released in April.
At the opening of the donor's conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for "an immediate and major injection of funding" to stop people from dying.
'We owe them solidarity'
"We must act now to prevent crisis from turning into catastrophe," he added, recalling that last year donor countries delivered vital help to 20 million people in the region and helped avert a famine.
Guterres said people in the region were "paying an unconscionable price for a climate crisis they did nothing to cause."
"We owe them solidarity. We owe them assistance. And we owe them a measure of hope for the future. This means immediate action to secure their survival.
"And it means sustained action to help communities across the Horn adapt and build resilience to climate change," he added.
OCHA said the funds pledged Wednesday would allow humanitarian agencies to sustain aid pipelines of food, water, health care, nutrition and protection services.
Joyce Msuya, the UN's deputy emergency relief coordinator, welcomed the pledge but added: "We must persist in pushing for stepped-up investments, especially to bolster the resilience of people already bearing the brunt of climate change."
The money will provide life-saving assistance for nearly 32 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, the world body's humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement.
"Famine has been averted, thanks in part to the tremendous efforts of local communities, humanitarian organizations and authorities, as well as the support of donors," OCHA said.
But the sum is considerably less than the $7 billion the United Nations says is needed to provide help to people affected by drought and conflict in the region.
"The emergency is far from over, and additional resources are urgently required to prevent a return to the worst-case scenario," OCHA added.
Since late 2020, countries in the Horn of Africa -- Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan -- have been suffering the region's worst drought in 40 years.
Five failed rainy seasons have left millions of people in need, decimated crops and killed millions of livestock.
More than 23.5 million people are enduring high levels of acute food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, according to OCHA.
In Somalia alone, which is also in the throes of an Islamist insurgency, the number of people displaced from their homes now stands at 3.8 million, with 6.7 million people struggling to find food, according to figures from the UN and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
More than half a million children are severely malnourished, they added.
Deaths from hunger are on the rise in Africa because of droughts worsened by climate change and conflict, UN officials and scientists say.
The devastating drought in the Horn of Africa could not have occurred without the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, an international team of climate scientists, said in a report released in April.
At the opening of the donor's conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for "an immediate and major injection of funding" to stop people from dying.
'We owe them solidarity'
"We must act now to prevent crisis from turning into catastrophe," he added, recalling that last year donor countries delivered vital help to 20 million people in the region and helped avert a famine.
Guterres said people in the region were "paying an unconscionable price for a climate crisis they did nothing to cause."
"We owe them solidarity. We owe them assistance. And we owe them a measure of hope for the future. This means immediate action to secure their survival.
"And it means sustained action to help communities across the Horn adapt and build resilience to climate change," he added.
OCHA said the funds pledged Wednesday would allow humanitarian agencies to sustain aid pipelines of food, water, health care, nutrition and protection services.
Joyce Msuya, the UN's deputy emergency relief coordinator, welcomed the pledge but added: "We must persist in pushing for stepped-up investments, especially to bolster the resilience of people already bearing the brunt of climate change."
U.S. gives nearly $524 million in drought aid to Horn of Africa
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Wednesday announced nearly $524 million in U.S. humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa to help people struggling to find food and water in a drought across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
RELATED Study: Human-caused climate change worsened Horn of Africa drought
The U.S. aid includes nearly $108 million from the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and over $416 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
With Wednesday's announcement, total U.S. aid to the region in 2023 will be more than $1.4 billion. The money will be used for lifesaving support for people in the Horn of Africa who have been affected by the drought, food insecurity, and conflict.
"A storm of crises has pushed millions across the Horn of Africa to the brink," Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement. "A long, protracted drought has exacerbated acute food insecurity. Recent flash floods have wiped out entire homes and livelihoods. And conflict in neighboring countries has also had a devastating impact on vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons and refugees."
RELATED Response to Africa drought criticized
She also called for building more sustainable and resilient food systems around the world to adapt to the effects of climate change.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Wednesday announced nearly $524 million in U.S. humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa to help people struggling to find food and water in a drought across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
May 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Wednesday announced nearly $524 million in drought aid for the Horn of Africa.
"When I visited Mogadishu in January, I heard firsthand how the drought impacted the food supply and the increased potential for famine," Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement. "While there, I announced over $40 million in additional funding from the United States to Somalia to save lives and meet humanitarian needs."
She said more than 23.5 million people are facing acute food insecurity, and that's why the United States is continuing to support humanitarian aid to the region.
In April, a multi-national group of scientists found that human-induced climate change is worsening the Horn of Africa drought.
May 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Wednesday announced nearly $524 million in drought aid for the Horn of Africa.
"When I visited Mogadishu in January, I heard firsthand how the drought impacted the food supply and the increased potential for famine," Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement. "While there, I announced over $40 million in additional funding from the United States to Somalia to save lives and meet humanitarian needs."
She said more than 23.5 million people are facing acute food insecurity, and that's why the United States is continuing to support humanitarian aid to the region.
In April, a multi-national group of scientists found that human-induced climate change is worsening the Horn of Africa drought.
RELATED Study: Human-caused climate change worsened Horn of Africa drought
The U.S. aid includes nearly $108 million from the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and over $416 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
With Wednesday's announcement, total U.S. aid to the region in 2023 will be more than $1.4 billion. The money will be used for lifesaving support for people in the Horn of Africa who have been affected by the drought, food insecurity, and conflict.
"A storm of crises has pushed millions across the Horn of Africa to the brink," Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement. "A long, protracted drought has exacerbated acute food insecurity. Recent flash floods have wiped out entire homes and livelihoods. And conflict in neighboring countries has also had a devastating impact on vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons and refugees."
RELATED U.N. warns of catastrophic water shortage
Humanitarian groups in the region have launched a collective Humanitarian Response Plan calling for a cumulative total of $7 billion in assistance.
"We must act now to prevent crisis from turning into catastrophe," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. "Let us act together now -- with greater urgency and far greater support."
Thomas-Greenfield said the global community must heed that call.
Humanitarian groups in the region have launched a collective Humanitarian Response Plan calling for a cumulative total of $7 billion in assistance.
"We must act now to prevent crisis from turning into catastrophe," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. "Let us act together now -- with greater urgency and far greater support."
Thomas-Greenfield said the global community must heed that call.
RELATED Response to Africa drought criticized
She also called for building more sustainable and resilient food systems around the world to adapt to the effects of climate change.
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