USAID
Wednesday April 27, 2022
Today in Geneva, the United States announced more than $200 million in additional assistance to respond to humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa, including from the devastating drought and to address the needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict-affected population in the region. This assistance, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of State will help save lives in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, where more than 20 million people are projected to need emergency food assistance this year following two years of inadequate rainfall in a region dependent on agriculture and livestock to survive.
Compounding the dire situation, the war in Ukraine will continue to have a substantial impact on global food security, including in the Horn of Africa, through a reduction of Ukrainian agricultural exports combined with already high prices for food, fertilizer, and fuel. In the absence of additional and sustained resources to the drought response from other donors, millions of people across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia will likely experience dire humanitarian outcomes as drought conditions worsen. We call on all donors–governments, foundations, and the private sector–to provide additional support to help meet the critical funding gaps in the emergency response that will save lives.