UN appeals for funds to boost El Nino response in Horn of Africa

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on Wednesday renewed an appeal for additional funding to boost El Nino response in the greater horn of Africa region.

Pete Manfield, the Head of UNOCHA Eastern African Region Office, said at a media briefing in Nairobi that massive resources were required to help civilians in the horn of Africa region cope with negative impacts of El Nino.

"Climatic shocks like El Nino are fuelling the humanitarian crises in the horn of Africa region. An estimated 2 million people could be displaced by El Nino rains hence the need to scale up funding intervention,"said Manfield.

The UN humanitarian agency last week warned that El Nino rains could worsen food insecurity and disease outbreaks in the horn of Africa.

Manfield said the humanitarian situation in countries affected by El Nino remained fragile.

"We must ensure funds are available and scale up social safety nets to shield communities from hunger, malnutrition and communicable diseases," said Manfield.

Humanitarian agencies in their latest update revealed that an estimated 18 million people in the greater horn of Africa region are facing a food insecurity crisis triggered by El Nino phenomenon.

Manfield noted that multilateral agencies and national governments have responded timely to the El Nino phenomenon, but efforts must be scaled up in the area of funding.

"The funding gap should be closed to help sustain key interventions like emergency food assistance, provision of safe drinking water, drugs and repairs for broken infrastructure," he said, adding that conflicts in Yemen and Burundi have worsened the humanitarian situation in the greater horn of Africa region.

Regional blocs have also intensified collaboration with multilateral agencies and national governments to strengthen response to the El Nino phenomenon.

Mahboub Maalim, Executive Secretary of Intergovernmental Authority on Drought, said an inter-agency collaborative venture has enhanced response to negative impacts of El Nino across the region.

"We are encouraging countries in the region to upgrade contingency plans and re-organize mitigation strategies since there is ample evidence the El Nino phenomenon will extend to January," said Maalim. Endit