The Horn of Africa crisis of 2011-2012 affected 13 million people. The main focus of the crisis was across southern Ethiopia, south-central Somalia and northern Kenya. Regional drought came on top of successive bad rains and rising inflation. It ramped up a chronic livelihoods crisis into a tipping point of potential disaster by putting extreme pressure on food prices, livestock survival, and water and food availability. Armed conflict across the region compounded chronic ecological and economic vulnerability, which escalated the crisis and limited people’s survival and recovery choices. (IASC Real-Time Evaluation of the Humanitarian Response to the Horn of Africa Drought Crisis in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya - Synthesis Report)
Appeals & Funding
- Djibouti Appel global 2013
- Ethiopia Humanitarian Requirements 2013
- Kenya Emergency Humanitarian Response Plan 2013
- Somalia Consolidated Appeal 2013-15
The Joint Assessment Mission (JAM) was conducted over the period from February until June 2014 with the aim of obtaining a better understanding of the situation, needs, risks, capacities and vulnerabilities of asylum seekers and refugees with regards to their food and nutrition security as well as livelihood opportunities, and providing recommendations for the next 6 to 12 months. This JAM report aims to provide information for programming through the design of a joint -programme cycle for UN agencies and their partners under the coordination of the Government of Zimbabwe.
Training Africans to increase sales and grow small agricultural businesses
PHOENIX (August 5, 2014) – President Barack Obama spoke to 50 African leaders at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in Washington D.C. from Aug. 4-6, to promote Africa’s economic growth in business and foreign investment. President Obama rallied support for Africa’s upcoming generation in creating business opportunities.
By Ed McKenna
ADDIS ABABA, Jun 30 2013 (IPS) - Across Africa, smallholder farmers, who are some of the world’s most impoverished people, are slowly being introduced to innovative approaches, such as entrepreneurial loan schemes and conservation practices, to combat food insecurity.
Resource-constrained African smallholder farmers contribute to 80 percent of food production in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Imagine there is a major crisis unfolding. While one region in the affected country is in crisis, there are available food supplies and resources in another. In situations like this, USAID disaster response professionals have several key decisions to make — all with the goal of helping as many people as possible in the most rapid, efficient and effective way possible. Does it make sense to bring in food from the United States? Should we purchase food locally to distribute to those in need? Should we provide people the means to buy the food themselves?
Fragile states are risky environments. Many states fail in their responsibilities to their citizens but those states which are fragile, failed or weak are particularly liable to render their citizens vulnerable. Failures of authority or legitimacy can lead to the emergence of significant organised violence; the impact of this can then be compounded by the failure of the state to protect its citizens, especially minorities.
Over 170 people have died and 225,000 displaced as a result of flash flooding
Food Security: Aid agencies urged to adopt ‘no regrets response’ to build on regional food security gains
Renewed attempts made to address cross border and incountry insecurity in eastern Africa, namely in Somalia, DRC and Kenya.
Regional Migration: An estimated 9.15 million people are currently displaced in the region: 2,012,531 are refugees and 7,141,442 are IDPs
This report covers the period 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012
Across the East Africa region, consecutive good seasons transformed food security conditions from the initial low point in 2011, which was a great relief coming out of a severe drought. However, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) continued working with other players including government and regional bodies such as the Inter-Governmental Climate Information, Prediction,
ByMorten Bøås with James J. Hentz
Africa’s security is currently standing at a crossroads. Relatively high African growth rates in combination with the increased institutional strength, credibility and legitimacy of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have led to greater confidence in Africa’s ability to deal with its security challenges. However, the continent is also confronted with significant security challenges that could have severe ramifications across several countries and regions.
The African Development Bank has allocated $140.5 million to resilience efforts.
Peace agreements for DRC and Sudan/South Sudan have been signed amid continuing concerns.
Refugees continue to flee DRC and Sudan. Some 12,000 Somalis left Kenya for Somalia despite challenging conditions.
Food security has generally improved across the region, though 16 million people are still facing crisis and emergency conditions.
Peace holds in Kenya voting despite some violence.
Delft, March 2013
Aiming to serve all African farmers, FESA Micro-insurance is growing fast. But, large scale crop insurance puts special demands. Using automated insurance design and monitoring tools, EARS has developed a geo-information approach to crop insurance. Mapped insurance designs can be provided for the entire region, thus allowing for unrestricted sales. This enhanced capability is also reflected in the offer to develop proof-of-concept, free drought insurance design.
Japon – La Diète du Japon a approuvé le budget supplémentaire du pays pour l’exercice 2012, qui prévoit une allocation de 43,5 millions de dollars E.-U. pour les opérations humanitaires de l’OIM destinées aux migrants vulnérables, aux personnes déplacées à l’intérieur de leur propre pays, aux migrants de retour et aux communautés d’accueil du monde entier.
Ces fonds visent à répondre à des besoins non satisfaits ou imprévus durant l’exercice. Il s’agit de la plus grande somme que l’OIM ait reçue de ce mécanisme de financement japonais jusqu’à présent.
The National Diet of Japan has approved the country's supplementary budget fiscal year 2012, which includes USD 43.5 million to support IOM humanitarian operations for vulnerable migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and host communities worldwide.
The funding is designed to address unmet or unplanned needs during the fiscal year and is the largest amount that IOM has received to date from this Japanese funding mechanism.
Late December and early January rains reduced some seasonal rainfall deficits in the eastern Horn
The October to December rains, which are important in the eastern Horn of Africa, continued into mid-January, reducing some of the deficits that had lasted through the first half of December.
Nevertheless, cumulative, seasonal rainfall deficits remain in several areas of the eastern Horn.
NAIROBI, 22 janvier 2013 (IRIN) - Selon une étude de l'Institut international de recherche sur les politiques alimentaires IFPRI, l'Afrique pourrait réduire son niveau de pauvreté plus rapidement en privilégiant la production d'aliments de base plutôt que les cultures d'exportation.
La protection des civils au Mali et dans l'est de la RD Congo devrait figurer parmi les priorités du sommet
Protecting Civilians in Mali, Eastern DRC Among Priorities
(Addis Ababa, January 21, 2013) – The African Union (AU) should make human rights central to its discussions about crises situations in Africa at its summit meeting this week in Ethiopia, Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter to the AU chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The Ordinary Summit begins on January 21, 2013, and AU heads of state are due to meet on January 27 and 28 in Addis Ababa.
Acute food insecurity declines, but parts of region continue to be in crisis
Significant improvements in food security have been noted since the start of harvests in October 2012 in most countries in East Africa. Despite the improvements, an estimated 14.9 million people in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Rwanda continue to face Stressed (IPC Phase 2) to Crisis (IPC Phase 3) levels of food insecurity.