UN envoy calls for support to drought-affected people

The United Nations special humanitarian envoy for the Horn of Africa has appealed for donors to support funding appeals to help millions of people who have been affected by extensive drought in the region.

"The drought crisis in the Horn of Africa is very serious, and we must address immediate needs," Kjell Magne Bondevik told a press conference in Oslo, Norway, on Thursday. "The people of the region and those who seek to help them need much more support. [...] I urge the international community to turn their attention to the crisis. I especially urge donor countries to fund and support the UN appeals and the efforts of the entire humanitarian community."

According to the UN, more than 7.5 million people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya and Somalia are affected by the current drought, the worst in decades. Overall, close to 18 million people are food-insecure in the five-affected countries. Pastoralists’ livestock herds have been decimated, and most communities have exhausted their coping mechanisms.

"On my visit to a drought-stricken district in Kenya, I saw with my own eyes the terrible effect this drought is having on pastoralists, farmers and their families," Bondevik said.

Meanwhile, the government of Norway has allocated more than US $45 million to the drought-stricken countries. "The drought is worst in the southern parts of Ethiopia and Somalia and northeastern Kenya, in the border zone between the three countries," said International Development Minister Erik Solheim in a statement. "So far, there have been few contributions to the UN's humanitarian efforts, which is a cause for concern."

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