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Mediterranean Quarterly 11.3 (2000) 116-128



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The Horn of Africa:
Another Humanitarian Crisis?

Theodros Dagne


An estimated 16 million to 18 million people are in need of emergency assistance in the Horn of Africa region, according to United Nations and United States government officials. By far the most affected country is Ethiopia, with an estimated 8 million people facing starvation. In Sudan, an estimated 1.7 million people are in need of emergency assistance, and millions more in Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya, and Djibouti are also in need.

The primary cause of the current humanitarian crisis is drought due to lack of rains over the past several years. Hundreds of people have died over the past several months largely due to drought-related disease and starvation. The most affected area in Ethiopia is the Somali region, where scores of people have fled their homes in search of food and water at feeding centers in Gode and other surrounding towns.

Ethiopian and nongovernmental organization officials have criticized the slow response by the international community. The European Union in particular has been accused by Ethiopian officials for its slow-paced response, while many observers have credited the United States with a quick and generous response. EU officials reject the criticisms and say they plan to deliver an estimated eight hundred thousand tons of food to the region.

Delivery of humanitarian assistance could be hampered by the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict. Prior to the conflict, Ethiopia used the Eritrean ports of Assab and Massawa for almost 85 percent of its imports. Since May 1998, Ethiopia has stopped using these ports and has been dependent on Djibouti's. [End Page 116] U.S. and UN officials have stated that the ports in Djibouti and Somalia do not have the capacity to handle hundreds of thousands of tons of food aid. Eritrea has offered the use of Assab for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, but Ethiopia has rejected the offer.

Ethiopia argues that there should be no linkage between the humanitarian crisis and the conflict with Eritrea. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi stated at a press conference in mid-April 2000 that "Ethiopia's preference to peacefully reverse the aggression is not contingent on the presence or absence of a drought-induced emergency." He added that Ethiopia's "commitment to reverse the aggression by force if peaceful avenues are blocked, as they currently appear to be due to the intransigence of the government in Asmara, is a commitment of principle and one that is not contingent on the presence or absence of other emergencies."

Ethiopia

[Table 1] As stated, an estimated 8 million people are affected by the current humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia. An additional 350,000 people displaced by the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict are also in need of assistance. The most affected regions are the Somali region and southern Ethiopia. Relief officials are also concerned about the Tigray and the Amhara regions in the north and center of the country, respectively. Insufficient rainfall for three years in a row has led to poor harvests and loss of livestock. Relief officials are concerned that if the rains fail to come in the next few months, the situation could become worse for millions more Ethiopians.

The Ethiopian government has requested an estimated 900,000 metric tons of food aid, and the international community as of late April 2000 had pledged about 600,000. The United States, the largest donor country, has pledged 505,000 metric tons at a cost of $184 million. In addition, in March 2000, the United States airlifted 10 metric tons of therapeutic milk and 30 metric tons of high-protein biscuits for malnourished children in Gode. The World Food Program (WFP) plans to assist an estimated 2.3 million people with 250,000 metric tons. The EU has stated that it plans to provide 800,000 metric tons of food for the Horn of Africa region. [End Page 117] [Begin Page 119]

Kenya

Kenya has the second largest at-risk population after Ethiopia, with 2.7 million people in need of assistance. Insufficient rainfall is a...

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