KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Below-average belg and sugum rains from February to June, combined with the late onset of July-to-September karma and kiremt rains and below-normal rainfall in previous seasons, has exacerbated drought conditions and food insecurity in areas of Afar, Oromiya, Somali, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) regions, according to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT)—comprising UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other humanitarian stakeholders—in Ethiopia projects that food security and nutrition conditions will worsen through mid-2016, requiring an additional $237 million in humanitarian assistance.
USAID/OFDA recently provided more than $12 million to support humanitarian response efforts in Ethiopia, bringing total USAID/OFDA assistance to Ethiopia to more than $19 million in FY 2015. USAID/OFDA programs deliver relief commodities, improve access to safe drinking water, and provide nutrition support to malnourished children. In addition, USAID/FFP provided nearly $150 million in emergency food assistance to vulnerable populations across the country, while State/PRM provided nearly $82 million to support refugee populations and other vulnerable communities.