Horn of Africa needs a joint plan for future

Alleviating the effects of hunger in Somalia is the first step in solving a regional issue

As the situation in Somalia deteriorates, the UAE has launched a month-long campaign to raise at least half a billion dirhams to alleviate the suffering of the country. For the next month, the campaign, called “For You Somalia”, will raise money to mitigate the third famine to hit the Horn of Africa country in 25 years. It is generosity such as this that has led to the UAE being named the world’s top aid donor for the third consecutive year. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development published its data this week, showing that the UAE contributes more per capita than any other country in the world.

Such generosity is desperately needed by too many places in the world. But in the Horn of Africa, the scale of the challenges is so immense that one country cannot do it all alone. The international community needs a concerted plan.

Somalia has declared a national emergency over the prolonged drought that has affected half the population. At least three million people are going hungry. A similar situation is occurring in South Sudan, where a terrible famine is affecting 100,000 people, in addition to a conflict that has been raging for three years.

On the other side of the Red Sea, the war in Yemen has affected millions of people and brought hunger to many parts of the country. It has also led to many thousands of Yemenis making the perilous journey to East Africa. Before the 2011 Arab Spring uprising in Yemen, East Africans – Somalis, Eritreans and others – would try to cross into Yemen, seeking a life there or a way to the Gulf countries. Many ended up in refugee camps on Yemen’s coast. Now because of the war, many are heading back in the other direction.

Long-term, this movement of people among states ill-equipped to handle even their own populations is a recipe for chaos. There are now refugee crises in most Horn of Africa countries, either from internally displaced people or those from abroad. It has made those countries unstable, and has meant that those fleeing have had to look even farther afield, contributing to the waves of refugees crossing the Mediterranean.

This is not sustainable and will have security implications. In addition to the vast sums the UAE is giving, a comprehensive strategy for the Horn of Africa is desperately needed.