The United Nations announced on Wednesday that it had raised $2.4 billion to tackle the food crisis in the Horn of Africa, an amount that has helped avert the specter of famine.
Indeed, the United Nations Humanitarian Office (OCHA) said in a statement, issued after a conference in New York organized by the UN, Italy, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and the United States, that “famine has been averted” in this part of Africa.
It should be noted that the international organization appealed for funds at this conference to raise seven billion dollars to help millions of people affected by a multitude of crises in the Horn of Africa.
Indeed, at the opening of the conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to help raise funds to prevent “people from starving to death”, arguing that by 2022 donor countries for the Horn of Africa had helped “deliver emergency aid to 20 million people and help avert famine”.
These people concerned by this urgent aid from international organizations are estimated at 32 million according to the OCHA and are in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
The aid concerns the delivery of food, water, care, and medical protection to the population.
According to the UN agency, food and energy prices remain high and the impact of the conflict in Sudan is spreading throughout the region, adding to the drought and transport costs that have driven up food prices. Indeed, in March 2023, a food basket in East Africa cost 40% more than a year ago.