The drought and the massive displacement of people in the Horn of Africa, in addition to conflict and violence, high food prices, and dwindling resources, has resulted in one of the most dramatic global humanitarian crises.

According to the latest reports by the World Food Programme, some 10 million people are affected by the Horn of Africa's worst drought in 60 years.

Two consecutive rainy seasons have failed, producing a decline of more than 25% of rain for pastoral areas in Somalia, Northern and Eastern Kenya, Southern and Eastern Ethiopia and Djibouti. As a result harvests have failed, livestock mortality has soared, and food and water have become extremely expensive.

The price of food for essential cereals like maize has increased 2,5 times in Eastern Kenya, Eastern Ethiopia and Southern Somalia. Millions of people in the region cannot meet basic survival needs, and emergency levels of acute malnutrition are widespread.

In most areas affected by the drought, malnutrition is affecting over 30% of people, which is more than double the internationally recognized emergency threshold. Those who can are leaving their land and their homes to walk long distances trying to find food and water. Many Somalis are crossing borders to do that. An estimated 3,000 people a day are arriving in Kenya and Ethiopia from Somalia in search for a help.

The crisis is expected to worsen over the coming three to four months. "If we don't act now, famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months, due to poor harvests and infectious disease outbreaks," told Mark Bowden, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia. 

Recovery is not expected until next year, given the expected late and below-average harvests, the depletion of pasture and water and the high prices of food, water, and fuel. This is why the rapid scaling-up of the emergency response is vital to address the humanitarian needs and to prevent further deterioration.

On the 20 July 2011 the U.N. declared famine in Somalia's southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions. Josette Sheeran, head of the U.N.'s World Food Program which had halted its aid operations after the rebel-imposed ban, said this would be its "largest ever emergency operation of supplementary foods to reach children" and appealed for extra funding from international donors to relief spreading of humanitarian crisis.

Years of drought, that have also affected Kenya and Ethiopia, have hit harvests and conflict has made it extremely difficult for agencies to operate and access communities in the south of the country.

Much of southern and central Somalia is controlled by Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda who imposed a ban on food aid in 2010, which the U.N. and the United States said had exacerbated the crisis. The rebels lifted the ban this month.

Response to the current drought  

The AU deputy chairperson Mr. Mwencha and Ms. Sheeran (U.N. World Food Programme) announced a joint trip to the site of the drought on Saturday 23rd July 2011 to assess the situation and find joint solution to the problem. They both hold a meeting on the 20^th July and discussed joint methods of responding to the drought crisis and measures to mitigate effects of humanitarian situation in southern Somalia and the rest of the Horn of Africa.

The EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Kristalina Georgieva will visit the region on 22-26 July 2011 to see what additional steps should be taken to face the severity of current drought and to respond to U.N. call for additional international support. In 2011 the European Union gave nearly €70 million in humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa, of which more than 70% was used to respond to the drought crisis. The priority sectors are food assistance, nutrition and water and sanitation. The Commission has made an immediate allocation of 27.8 million Euros, which comes on top of the 70 million Euros already given to the region this year.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged an extra $28 million in aid.

Long term solutions to the drought problem

Only long-term action by development agencies and national governments can deliver effective and sustainable results: by investing in local coordination, better resource management, animal health and planning for contingency measures, including stockpiling cereal and grains, buying up animals before they get too weak and repairing water boreholes. In this way, adaption to climate change and infrastructure development is key element of success.

Working alongside humanitarian aid, the European Commission's development department seeks to ensure long term sustainable solution and transition from humanitarian to development cooperation through Linking, Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD).

The European Commission remains a political and financial partner ensuring global food security. In 2009 during the G-8 meeting in L'Aquila the EU pleged to support agriculture and food security with € 2.7 billion in 2010-2012. Throught the long term develomment cooperation, the EU has provided more than € 400 million to support agriculture and food security in the Horn of Africa since 2008.