Some Relief in East African Famine, But Aid Must Continue

Six months after the global humanitarian community swung into crisis mode, 13 million people in drought-stricken East Africa have avoided disaster but still need emergency assistance.

“Some significant improvement” has been achieved in easing what remains one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, according to Bruce Wharton, deputy assistant secretary of state for public diplomacy in the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs. Still, he said, “this crisis is not over yet; the need remains great.”

Wharton and two other U.S. officials spoke to journalists in a teleconference January 24. The United States remains the largest donor to the region, with about $870 million in assistance given over the last year and a half. The U.S. officials praised the generosity and hospitality extended by Ethiopia and Kenya in providing refuge and assistance for Somalis. Famine has driven millions of Somalis off their lands in search of help.