Southern and Eastern Africa
Humanitarian needs continue to rise in Southern and Eastern Africa as the region grapples with the devastating effects of climate change such as drought and the impacts of El Niño-induced flooding, economic challenges, conflicts and diseases including cholera. The region is also home to large-scale displacement and protection concerns.
OCHA’s Regional Office for Southern and Eastern Africa (ROSEA), based in Nairobi, Kenya, works with country offices in the region to support and strengthen the humanitarian coordination and response preparedness.
ROSEA provides a platform for the analysis of cross-border issues of humanitarian concern, such as facilitating multi-country preparedness and planning consultations. It also works to strengthen collaboration on emergency preparedness and response with regional bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Eastern Africa, and the Southern Africa Development Community in Southern Africa.
Regional coverage
Eritrea
Following a border conflict with Ethiopia from 1998 to 2000, Eritrea experienced a prolonged "no-war, no-peace" situation and faced international sanctions for a decade.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is facing multiple humanitarian emergencies due to climate change, conflict, disease outbreaks, poor macroeconomic conditions, and high commodity and food prices due to inflation.
Mozambique
An estimated 945,000 people have been internally displaced by the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique, which continues to increase humanitarian needs.
Somalia
Somalia is facing a rapidly unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, driven by the longest and most severe drought in at least 40 years.
South Sudan
The humanitarian situation in South Sudan is worsening, driven by the cumulative and compounding effects of years of conflict, subnational violence, food insecurity, the climate crisis and public health challenges.
Sudan
Clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces erupted in Khartoum on 15 April 2023. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured due to the conflict.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, faces high risks from the global climate crisis, exacerbated by aged infrastructure.
The Regional Humanitarian Pooled Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa
The Eastern and Southern Africa Humanitarian Fund is one of OCHA’s newest Regional Humanitarian Pooled Funds. It was established in 2024, with an initial Country Envelope in Mozambique. The Fund is operationally managed by a Humanitarian Financing Unit based in Nairobi. The Regional Humanitarian Pooled Fund provides a flexible and cost-effective way to expand pooled funding to more countries, with modalities that are scalable to needs on the ground. Starting in Mozambique, funding is directed when and where most urgently needed for localized and sustainable humanitarian action.
Latest News and Stories
Resources
Sudan
News and Press ReleaseForced displacement in North Darfur overwhelms aid operations and increases civilian vulnerability
These challenges have severely disrupted existing humanitarian operations and exponentially increased the vulnerability of hundreds of thousands of people.
South Sudan
News and Press ReleaseMs. Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, OCHA, on behalf of Mr. Tom Fletcher, USG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator - Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, 16 April 2025
New York, 16 April 2025 As delivered Thank you, Mr. President. When I last briefed this Council on South Sudan in August 2024, I warned of a “perfect storm” of stressors – with humanitarian,...
Sudan
News and Press ReleaseMarking two years of Sudan war: A call for peace, protection and humanity - Statement by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami [EN/AR]
(Port Sudan, 15 April 2025) Today marks two years since conflict erupted in Sudan — a tragedy that continues to unfold before our eyes, leaving a trail of devastation and despair. In these two years,...
Mozambique
InfographicMozambique: 2025 Tropical Cyclone Jude Humanitarian Response, as of 11 April 2025 [EN/PT]
SITUATION OVERVIEW On 11 March, Tropical Cyclone Jude made landfall in Mozambique. According to the National Institute for Natural Disasters (INGD), as of 20 March 2025, an estimated 483,340 people...
Funding for OCHA Southern and Eastern Africa
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