VZCZCXYZ0013
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNR #1652/01 1031512
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131512Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1020
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 8418
RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI PRIORITY 4120
INFO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3854
RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001652 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
 
DEPT HHS WASHDC, PRIORITY 
CDC ATLANTA GA PRIORITY 
USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY 
CJTF HOA PRIORITY 
DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY 
USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/E, AF/EPS, AF/PD, EB, PRM/AF, IO 
AID FOR A/AID, AA/DCHA, WGARVELINK, LROGERS, MHESS, 
DCHA/OTI, 
DCHA/OFDA FOR GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, IMACNAIRN, KCHANNELL 
DCHA/FFP FOR JDWORKEN, JDRUMMOND, TANDERSON, DNELSON, 
SBRADLEY 
AID/EGAT FOR AA/EGAT, JSCHAFER, JTURK 
AFR/EA FOR JBORNS, SMCCLURE 
ADDIS ABABA FOR TIM STUFFT 
DJIBOUTI FOR JSCHULMAN 
ROME FOR FODAG 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
NSC FOR JMELINE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: EAID ECON PHUM PREF PREL IGAD CENTCOM KE
SO, DY, ET 
SUBJECT:  HORN OF AFRICA, STATE - USAID HUMANITARIAN 
UPDATE NUMBER 4 
 
REF: A)STATE 27057; B)NAIROBI 00968; C)NAIROBI 01238  D) 
 
NAIROBI 01445 
 
This is the fourth update cable in response to Ref A 
request for biweekly reports on the humanitarian 
situation in the Horn of Africa.   USAID Missions in 
Kenya and Ethiopia, REDSO (Somalia, Djibouti), and 
OFDA/ECARO contributed to this report. 
 
SPECIAL REPORT 
 
¶1.  Michael Hess, Assistant Administrator for DCHA, 
visited Kenya from April 7 - 13, on the first leg of a 
trip to Djibouti and Ethiopia to assess and bring 
attention to the drought and pastoralist crisis in the 
Horn of Africa.  Mr. Hess traveled to the drought 
affected towns of Mandera and El Wak, and saw the 
situation firsthand.  Although rains had started, there 
was recognition that this would not be enough to restore 
livelihoods, and recovery would take years, and also 
require some livelihood diversification.  Mr. Hess also 
traveled to Makueni and Kitui, a marginal agriculture 
zone that showed not only northeast Kenya faced food 
security crises, where he saw water harvesting projects 
being implemented by USAID partners German Agro Action 
and ADRA. Mr. Hess met NGO, UN, GOK and donor officials 
to discuss drought response strategy recognizing that 
long-term efforts to improve governance and reduce 
poverty were as equally important as the immediate 
response.  A key issue that emerged was that information 
sharing and coordination needed to be improved.  As a 
immediate activity, OFDA and REDSO will work with donors 
to undertake a mapping exercise of drought response to 
date. 
 
 
COUNTRY REPORTS 
 
¶2.  KENYA 
 
UPDATE ON THE HUMANITARIAN/DIPLOMATIC FRONT:  The long- 
awaited long-rains have started in drought-affected 
northeastern pastoral districts and eastern marginal 
agricultural areas.  Heavy rains have also been reported 
in most of the western, southern and coastal areas and 
some districts in northeastern and eastern Kenya.  The 
heavy downpours resulted in flash floods around the Lake 
Victoria region and other areas including Nairobi, 
causing material damage to crops and household 
properties. 
 
Although the start of the long-rains in the pastoralist 
areas is a positive indicator of a potential improvement 
in the current humanitarian crisis, it is too early to 
determine its overall effect on livelihoods.  On the 
other hand, continuous heavy downpours could prevent the 
grass from sprouting, thereby, having little impact on 
improved pasture availability. 
 
DONOR RESPONSE UPDATE:  More recent non-USG pledges to 
the WFP EMOP include $3.6 million from UN/OCHA's 
recently established Central Emergency Response Fund 
(CERF), $740K from Australia, and $170K from Belgium. 
 
At present, over 46% of the total EMOP requirement ($225 
million) has been resourced.  To date the FFP 
contribution towards the EMOP for FY 06 is 69,590MT 
valued at $50 million, which includes the most recent 
contribution of $18 million. 
 
UPDATE ON THE FOOD SECURITY SITUATION AND OUTLOOK:  The 
onset of the long-rains has brought some immediate 
relief to the pastoralists, as it reduced the trekking 
distance in search of water.  However, well above normal 
(130 mm of rains was reported in Marsabit within 10 
days) rains within one week has also resulted in an 
upsurge of livestock mortality due to pneumonia and 
other water borne diseases.  Even if the long-rains are 
sustained throughout the season, the enormous 
detrimental effect of successive poor seasons, 
characterized by massive livestock mortality and loss of 
livelihoods, suggest that the vast majority of 
pastoralists will require longer-term livelihoods 
support to withstand future climatic shocks effectively 
and build resilience. 
 
In addition to climatic factors, limited purchasing 
power, political marginalization (in the pastoralist 
context), limited livelihood options and vulnerability, 
and chronic poverty explain the "complex food 
insecurity" scenario in Kenya's ASAL region. 
 
Reports indicate that the long-rains were also followed 
by an outbreak of armyworms in some coastal and high 
potential western districts.  At least for the time 
being, the Ministry of Agriculture appears to have the 
situation under control, having supplied affected 
districts with chemicals and sprayers and monitoring the 
situation. 
 
WFP reported that continued heavy downpours could 
disrupt relief food distributions in northeastern 
pastoral areas where infrastructure is extremely poor 
and some roads could become impassable. 
 
OTHER TOPICS OF SPECIAL INTEREST:  Both the GOK and 
donors are taking this crisis as an opportunity to 
improve understanding of the factors underlying repeated 
food crises in the country and identifying new 
approaches and strategies to break the cycle of relief 
dependency. However, the high-level meeting on chronic 
vulnerability and recurrent drought which was planned to 
take place on April 11, 2006 has now been postponed 
until after the cabinet deliberates on the ASAL draft 
policy, expected to be tabled soon. 
 
¶3.  ETHIOPIA 
 
UPDATE ON THE HUMANITARIAN/DIPLOMATIC FRONT:  The 
Government of Ethiopia's (GOE) Disaster Prevention and 
Preparedness Agency (DPPA) has issued the final results 
of the reassessment conducted in March in the Borena 
Zone of the Oromiya Region.  DPPA has raised the 
beneficiary figures to 343,600 beneficiaries, from the 
original 155,000.  DPPA is also conducting reassessments 
in Afder and Liben Zones of the Somali Region.  Results 
are expected within the next week.  In Liben Zone, the 
 
 
reassessment team is recommending beneficiary numbers be 
increased by 46,500, from 172,433, but the GOE has not 
yet approved or released the final beneficiary number. 
 
USAID/Ethiopia's Pastoralist Livelihoods Initiative 
(PLI) partners have now vaccinated over 1.78 million 
animals against anthrax, pasteurellosis, petite ruminant 
pneumonia.  A total of 219,000 animals were treated for 
parasites.  PLI partners continue towards the goal of 
off-taking 153,000 animals from the market place by the 
end of May.  Additionally, 3,000 animals have been 
restocked, and 86,000 animals are being fed or will be 
fed by the end of May in commercial herd maintenance 
programs. 
 
Massive campaigns against measles, led by UNICEF, began 
the last week in March, and will vaccinate almost 
900,000 children in drought affected areas. 
International NGOs are supporting the campaign to 
increase quality and coverage.  The measles campaign is 
of great significance as measles has been a primary form 
of mortality in past droughts, particularly in the 2000 
drought. 
 
From April 3 to 7, 2006, a joint USG assessment team, 
consisting of a CDC Epidemiologist, USAID/OFDA Food 
Security Advisor, and USAID/Ethiopia Program Assistant 
traveled to drought-affected areas of Afder and Liban 
zones, Somali Region.  At the time of the visit, it had 
just started raining, and this was expected to improve 
conditions for residents in the short-term.  However, 
significant rainfall of sufficient quantity and 
duration, and several months time will be needed for 
pastoralists and their animals to rebound from the 
combined shocks of the recent jilaal dry season and the 
failed deyr rains that preceded it.  Additional details 
of the assessment team's findings will be reported 
septel. 
 
DONOR RESPONSE UPDATE:  FFP/W authorized an additional 
12,250 metric tons to Save the Children USA to expand 
emergency relief food distributions in the Somali 
Region.  The food will be distributed directly by 
Save/USA to beneficiaries affected by the current 
drought emergency, and will allow Save/USA to expand 
into 5 additional woredas experience emergency 
situation. 
 
UPDATE ON THE FOOD SECURITY SITUATION AND OUTLOOK:  Good 
rains have started in all drought stricken areas, except 
for a few pocket areas in Warder Zone of the Somali 
Region.  Field, satellite, and station reports indicate 
fair to good rains during the first week of April. 
Unfortunately, rains have been torrential in some areas 
causing flooding.  Food distribution has been stopped in 
some woredas, namely Chereti woreda, of the Somali 
Region due to inaccessibility.  Water tanking has 
stopped in almost all woredas, as some areas are 
inaccessible due to the rains and the rains have filled 
birkas and ponds.  Flooding has claimed the lives of 
livestock and destroyed homes in parts of Afar and 
Borena Zone in Somali region, but estimates on the 
magnitude of the damage do not yet exist as this time. 
 
 
Livestock deaths have increased sharply with the first 
rains, either due to pneumonia and other diseases or due 
to their stomachs not being able to digest new pasture 
in their weakened state.  Cattle have comprised the 
majority of deaths, as shoats and camels have weathered 
the drought much better.  If the rains continue, the 
condition of surviving livestock is expected to markedly 
improve. 
 
The health sector is being monitored for disease 
outbreaks after the first rains.  Many water points that 
have just refilled are contaminated with fecal matter, 
and their have been reports of limited bloody diarrhea 
in two woredas in the Somali Region.  The conditions are 
conducive for an outbreak, but no major outbreaks have 
been reported at this time. 
 
A continued focus on health and nutrition still remains 
a critical concern.  While response actions are only 
just getting finalized and operational in some areas, it 
may be necessary to adjust these new programs towards a 
recovery-focused strategy.  In addition, coordination of 
nutrition and health, water/sanitation related 
activities/issues need to be better coordinated with 
regional health authorities. 
 
¶4.  SOMALIA 
 
UPDATE ON THE HUMANITARIAN/DIPLOMATIC FRONT:  The 
FEWS/FSAU Rain Watch for April 2-8 reports heavy rains 
over much of southern and parts of northwest Somalia. In 
the south, with the exception of parts of Hiran Region 
and Adale and Warsheikh Districts (Middle Shabele), most 
areas received good rains.  Gedo, Middle Juba, Lower 
Juba, Bay and parts of Lower Shabele received heavy 
rains with totals of up to 70 mm. Rains replenished 
water sources and prompted large migrations of 
pastoralists from riverine and farming areas into the 
traditional grazing areas in the hinterland. The upper 
catchments of Juba and Shabele rivers in the Ethiopian 
highlands have also received heavy rains, increasing 
river levels in Somalia.  Although rains were good so 
far, the overall performance of the rainy season will 
not be known until late April/early May. 
 
DONOR RESPONSE UPDATE:  Other recent donor contributions 
to WFP include Canada $1m (Canadian dollars); DFID 
$5.2m; Swiss $378,000; Norway $200,000; Netherlands 
$482,000; African Dev Bank $500,000 (pending); and Italy 
US$1.076. 
 
UPDATE ON THE FOOD SECURITY SITUATION AND OUTLOOK:  A 
multi-agency team including FSAU and FEWS conducted a 
nutritional survey and food security assessment March 22 
- 30, in all six districts of Gedo Region. Results show 
a global acute malnutrition (weight for height