Each week USAID produces a fact sheet with updates on the drought in the Horn of Africa.  These fact sheets provide background information about the crisis, key recent developments, data on U.S. humanitarian assistance to the region, and public donation information.

We’ll now be featuring the key developments of the week on our blog as well.   We encourage you to follow along for the latest updates and information relating to the ongoing crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Key developments

  • The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance throughout the Horn of Africa currently stands at 13.3 million—up from 12.4 million at the end of July, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Approximately 750,000 Somalis—including 490,000 in rural areas, primarily in Bay, Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, and Bakool regions, and 260,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mogadishu and the Afgooye corridor—are reportedly at risk of death during the next four months without sufficient relief, according to the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit–Somalia (FSNAU). Insecurity and lack of humanitarian access continue to significantly constrain relief efforts in southern Somalia. For example, on September 8, armed militia reportedly shut down feeding centers in Lower Shabelle and Gedo regions, denying life-saving assistance to drought-affected populations, according to the U.N.
  • Humanitarian assistance to Somalia in August and September to date has increased significantly since July. In August, humanitarian aid—including assistance sent by many Gulf and Arab countries—arrived in Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia by air and sea, according to OCHA. However, the humanitarian community remains particularly concerned about the humanitarian situation in Bay, Bakool, and Middle Shabelle regions, where access and coverage of humanitarian needs remain the lowest.
  • Despite ongoing relief efforts, food security conditions are expected to deteriorate further in some areas of Somalia over the coming four months. By December, famine may extend to some areas of Gedo, Juba, Middle Shabelle, and Hiran regions, according to USAID’s Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).