US Mission Geneva

The United States continues to be concerned by the crisis in the Horn of Africa. Although the famine in Somalia ended earlier this year, more than two million people in that country still urgently need humanitarian aid. And the overall humanitarian situation in the region remains fragile; more than 9 million people in the Horn need assistance.

In 2011, the worst drought in 60 years struck the Horn of Africa. The United Nations declared famine in six regions of Somalia, threatening the lives of over 250,000 Somalis, and requiring urgent humanitarian assistance for more than 13.3 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and other parts of Somalia. The international community responded and famine conditions abated in January 2012. Nevertheless, today, more than 9 million people still remain in need of emergency assistance in Horn of Africa.

The United States continues to be deeply concerned by the humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa, and particularly the hard-hit Somali population.

Six months after the global humanitarian community swung into crisis mode, 13 million people in drought-stricken East Africa have avoided disaster but still need emergency assistance.

Today, we have invited senior members from the State Department to provide an update on continued U.S. efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the region as well as some of the ongoing security challenges that exist.

Drought has impacted more than 13 million people in the Horn of Africa. USAID continues to provide humanitarian assistance to drought-affected individuals in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti.

“Today, on behalf of the U.S. Government and the American people, I am announcing an additional $113 million in emergency relief assistance for the Horn of Africa. This funding will support urgently needed food, health, shelter, water and assistance needs.”

MARK TONER: While we are encouraged by the international community’s response efforts and the impact they are having on saving lives, the crisis is far from over, and the needs are still great. Any decline in the level of international assistance, increase in conflict, and/or new disruptions to humanitarian access or trade could allow famine conditions to reappear in Somalia.

On September 26, the Humanitarian Forum and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation brought together leading humanitarian organizations from Muslim donor and recipient countries to develop a shared action plan for Somalia. Participants discussed ways to improve coordination and promote networking within the humanitarian community.