The EU has released an additional €122 million for humanitarian assistance in the Greater Horn of Africa, as the region continues to face the impact of conflicts and climate-related disasters such as drought and floods. The funding will help address the most urgent needs of vulnerable populations, notably with food and nutrition assistance, but also with other services to meet basic needs, such as water and sanitation in locations at high risk of disease outbreaks.
In particular, the funding will be dedicated to partners working in Ethiopia (€42 million), Somalia (€40 million) and South Sudan (€40 million).
This additional funding brings the total EU aid to the Greater Horn of Africa to more than €421 million so far this year, including a reinforcement of over €56 million mobilised in April in response to the consequences of the crisis in Sudan.
The Greater Horn of Africa continues to face complex and widespread humanitarian crises, mainly driven by conflicts and natural shocks made worse by climate change. Over 70 million people are in immediate need of humanitarian assistance.
In Ethiopia, the humanitarian situation remains dire. It is estimated that there are more than 10 million people who are critically food insecure during the current lean season (that lasts between July and September). Over 4.5 million people are internally displaced across the country. At the same time, the country hosts more than one million refugees, including recent arrivals from Sudan. In parallel, and sometimes in the same locations as other crises, there are outbreaks of infectious diseases such as malaria, cholera and measles.
Somalia remains one of the major humanitarian crises in the world, with close to 7 million people in need of life-saving assistance. While still recovering from a historic drought, the country was severely hit by above-average rainfall and flooding during the 2023 and 2024 rainy seasons, forcing thousands of people into displacement and triggering cholera outbreaks in new locations. A projected La Niña effect and dry spells later in the year will likely have worrying consequences for the already serious food insecurity situation in the country.
Finally, South Sudan is experiencing a sharp economic crisis this year, while the conflict in neighbouring Sudan is also increasing displacement and the vulnerability of the population. At least 80,000 people are expected to be in famine-like conditions this summer. The prospect of new floods as of September is worrying, especially for areas that have not yet recovered from the previous four consecutive years of floods.
Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “As humanitarian needs continue to grow in the Horn of Africa, so are we increasing our humanitarian aid to this region, one of the most vulnerable in the world. This additional funding of €122 million will support the scale-up of life-saving assistance to people in Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan. The EU’s aid will help address the worrying levels of food insecurity, contribute towards meeting the different multi-sectoral needs of the affected communities, contain the spread of infectious diseases and support displaced people, newly-arrived refugees and their host communities, including those fleeing the ongoing conflict in Sudan.”
