Regional office for

Southern and Eastern Africa

A woman and child in Eli Dar, Afar region, Ethiopia.
Eli Dar, Afar region. In eastern Afar, in Ethiopia, the community at the outskirts of the town of Eli Dar have been experiencing the impact of drought. The area that would normally provide a year or more worth of water for the village dried up about six months ago and temperatures are in their 40s. OCHA/Liz Loh Taylor
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Humanitarian needs continue to rise in Southern and East Africa as the region experiences the devastating effects of climate change, economic challenges and conflicts. Millions of people face acute drought-related food insecurity, leading 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 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

A woman looks into the camera
HAT

Burundi

The humanitarian situation in Burundi improved slightly last year, with a 21 per cent decrease in the number of people in need — from 2.3 million in 2021 to 1.8 million in 2022.

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Children in a desert landscape
Country office

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.

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A woman, Esha Mohammed, walks along the dry landscape
Country office

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.

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Two women sat on the ground speaking with one another
HAT

Kenya

Kenya is facing an unprecedented drought. An estimated 4.4 million people face high levels of food insecurity, with over 4.1 million lacking access to enough water for daily needs.

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Family in their garden outside their home in Madagascar
HAT

Madagascar

Madagascar's Grand Sud region has been affected by consecutive droughts. Despite a scale-up in humanitarian assistance, food insecurity and malnutrition improved in the Grand Sud, but the situation remains fragile.

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Men and women at a displacement site in TA Nkanda, Malawi
HAT

Malawi

The Tropical Cyclone Freddy weather system brought torrential rainfall to southern Malawi from 12 to 15 March 2023, causing devastating floods and mudslides and leaving a trail of destruction.

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A woman stands with a pointer and watches as a child writes on a blackboard placed against a wall. Children are seated on the floor in front of the board. Soe bags can be seen placed against a dilapidated wall.
Country office

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. 

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A woman with baby in her arms stands in front of an informal tent. Two men and a woman in blue vests and clothing face her.
Country office

Somalia

Somalia is facing a rapidly unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, driven by the longest and most severe drought in at least 40 years.

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Two women stand in a open space with their backs to the camera. They have an arm around each other's back.
Country office

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.

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A woman stands with a little girl in her arms facing the camera with two young boys standing next to her
Country office

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.

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A boy carrying a tyre in Zimbabwe
HAT

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, faces high risks from the global climate crisis, exacerbated by aged infrastructure.

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Resources

Kenya

Infographic

Kenya Drought Response Dashboard (January to December 2023)

SITUATION UPDATE Despite increased rainfall in the last quarter of 2023, the number of people experiencing hunger remained high. In the pastoral areas, forage and water resources significantly...

Originally published
Source
  • UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Read more

Ethiopia + 4 more

News and Press Release

The Greater Horn of Africa: Humanitarian Key Messages (February 2024)

The Greater Horn of Africa¹ faces a convergence of increasingly recurring and intensifying climate crises, mainly drought and flooding, conflicts, disease outbreaks, and economic shocks. These,...

Originally published
Source
  • UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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Somalia

Situation Report

Somalia Monthly Humanitarian Update, February 2024

This report is produced by OCHA Somalia in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It provides information on the humanitarian situation across Somalia in February 2024. HIGHLIGHTS • Assistant...

Originally published
Source
  • UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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Somalia

Situation Report

Somalia Situation Report, 17 Mar 2024

HIGHLIGHTS ASG for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy ERC, Ms. Joyce Msuya and the Deputy DG of the Food and Agriculture Organization Ms. Beth Bechdol visited Somalia from 7 to 9 March. Four million...

Originally published
Source
  • UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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Funding for OCHA Southern and Eastern Africa

Earmarked funding (USD)
2.7M 2023
Opening balance (USD)
847.00 2023
Total (USD)
2.7M 2023
Total requirements (USD)
6.3M 2023

Earmarked contributions

Canada
$0.2 million
Cyprus
$0.1 million
Germany
$0.5 million
Sweden
$0.3 million
Türkiye
$0.1 million
United States
$1.3 million

Unearmarked contributions

  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • China
  • Cyprus
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Luxembourg
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Qatar
  • Republic of
  • Russian Federation
  • S
  • Singapore

Unearmarked contributions (or commitments) are those for which the donor does not require the funds to be used for a specific project, sector, crisis or country, leaving OCHA to decide how to allocate the funds.

Opening balance may include unearmarked and earmarked funding with implementation dates beyond the calendar year, and excludes miscellaneous income (e.g. adjustments, gain/losses on exchange rate etc.)

Funding information from the OCHA Contributions Tracking System.