The activities proposed hereafter are subject to the adoption of the financing decision ECHO/WWD/ BUD/2013/01000
- CONTEXT
DROUGHT CRISIS AND CONFLICT IN THE HORN OF AFRICA – STATE OF PLAY
Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti have been heavily affected during the period 2010/2011 by consecutive rain failures, hitting mostly the populations of arid and semi-arid lands in the region. The drought caused harvests to fail, high crude mortality and malnutrition rates in the population, severe livestock mortality, and increased food and water prices. By mid-2011, at the peak of the crisis, 13 million people were in need of emergency assistance across the region. In July 2011 famine was declared by the United Nations (UN) in parts of Somalia.
As of February 2012, UN declared the end of famine in Somalia. Malnutrition and crude mortality rates have dropped but still remain high in some areas. While drought-affected people are still struggling to recover in the region, the first 2012 rainy season was delayed and its below average performance in certain areas created renewed concerns about possible drought and humanitarian consequences. The last quarter of 2012 is benefitting from increased likelihood of above to near normal rainfall over much of the region. Overall, this has positive impacts on the region attributed to increased food supply from harvests, reduced food prices, enhanced productivity and prices of livestock, increased labour opportunities for households, and reduced inflationary pressures. However, rains are not evenly distributed and some areas are experiencing flooding and acute food insecurity is affecting areas of southern Ethiopia, south-central Somalia, parts of northern/eastern Kenya and Djibouti at least until the end of 2012. The number of severely food insecure people in the Horn of Africa has fallen substantially in 2012 compared to 2011 due to good harvests in parts of the region and sustained emergency and recovery support. However 9.1 million are still in need of humanitarian assistance.