NAIROBI, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The UN migration agency on Friday appealed for 60 million U.S. dollars to help displaced people and the communities hosting them in four of the worst affected countries -- Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia.
IOM said in a statement issued in Nairobi it intends to target six million drought-affected individuals from April to December across the four countries with a combination of lifesaving and early recovery interventions.
Jeffrey Labovitz, IOM Regional Director for East and Horn of Africa said IOM's response will provide immediate humanitarian aid, as well as solutions and long-term recovery options to people in each of these four countries, building their capacity to recover.
"Although the impressive efforts from communities, governments and international actors have so far managed to prevent the current drought escalating to famine, we are still in the midst of a major life-saving intervention and there is need for sustained funding and international support to mitigate what could still deteriorate," said Labovitz.
The East and Horn of Africa is experiencing the worst drought the region has seen in decades.
Since 2016, repeated failed rains have led to severe food insecurity and to increasing numbers of internal and cross border displacement.
The number of people in dire need of humanitarian intervention in the region continues to grow, estimated at 16 million people in May.
"In the coming months, we are likely to see many more needing humanitarian aid and being displaced, due to the poor rains. In the long run, the need to address root causes and scale up prevention mechanisms will be imperative to support affected communities to fully recover," added Labovitz.
According to IOM, impacts of this severe drought include food and water shortage, health and nutrition deterioration, significant livestock deaths and crop production losses.
It said the drought is affecting the region's main source of water -- the river basins. Over the past six months, severe drought conditions have contributed to the displacement of more than 700,000 people within Somalia.
"While in Ethiopia, 316,128 have been newly displaced since the beginning of 2017 and over 41,000 in Kenya due to the impact of the drought," the IOM said.
The UN migration agency said the drought has also triggered cross border movements, particularly between Somalia-Ethiopia and Somalia-Kenya.
"Due to increased access to beneficiaries and an early response, the numbers of cross border displacements, so far, have been less than in 2011, when the last severe drought occurred," it said.
However, cross border movements may increase if humanitarian support is not sustained, especially considering expected below-average rainfall.
