Hunger Crisis in the Horn of Africa
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"Tragically, many children are in such weak conditions… that they die within 24 hours despite emergency care…" UNHCR Commissioner António Guterres, July 5, 2011
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The latest update shows that about 13.3 million people are facing a humanitarian emergency (latest situation update)
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More than 50 percent of Somali children arriving in Ethiopia, and 30 to 40 percent of those arriving in Kenya, are seriously malnourished (UNHCR)
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An estimated 40,000 people, most of them children younger than 5, have died since famine conditions were declared in July 2011. Hundreds of thousands of children from the Horn countries are acutely malnourished.
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Despite early warnings, the World Food Program remained 60 percent underfunded by March 2011, and had to cut back its feeding programs in Somalia and Ethiopia.
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International efforts to provide relief are accelerating. Financial contributions have met much of the need, but an additional $480 million is needed to save lives. In addition, specific programs such as refugee protection, education, and health need to be stepped up; additional resources are needed to do this.
- In fiscal year 2011, the United States contributed approximately $650 million in humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa.
- Background Paper - Lives at Stake: Protect Global Food Security Programs
What's in this Section
Horn of Africa Aid Map from InterAction
Timeline
Why is this year different?
Map
Where are the worst-affected areas?
Video: Crisis in the Horn of Africa
VOA’s Ndimyake Mwakalyelye discusses the crisis in East Africa with Faustine Wabwire.
Update on the Relief Effort
Relief food assistance is underway by a number of government agencies, UN WFP, UNICEF, UN OCHA, and civil society organizations.
Key Points
A drought ravaging parts of the Horn of Africa is devastating communities, with livestock deaths an increase in deadly conflict over resources.
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