Photo Gallery Logistical Nightmare in Horn of Africa
The situation in the Horn of Africa is becoming increasingly desperate. Some 12 million people are facing the threat of starvation. Already, an estimated 500,000 children are suffering from severe malnourishment and may die if they do not receive sustenance.
People in parts of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda are being hit by the worst drought of the past 60 years. In some regions, the precarious situation is worsened by civil wars and violent militant groups, which make aid workers' jobs difficult, if not impossible.
Somalia is especially vulnerable. In the past two months alone, approximately 100,000 people have fled to the capital of Mogadishu, where they are greeted by chaos and violence. Parts of the city are controlled by the militant group al-Shabab, which is hindering aid efforts.
An estimated $1.6 billion (2.1 billion) is needed just to get through the crisis at hand, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. On Monday, the World Bank declared itself prepared to contribute more than $500 million. The German government has also increased its aid.
But increased funding is not enough. Overcrowded refugee camps, plus the challenges of delivering and distributing relief supplies, remain problematic. Many people from Somalia have fled to the Kenyan refugee camp of Dadaab or the Dollo Ado camp in Ethiopia, pictured here.
Supplies are delivered from Nairobi to the Dadaab camp (seen here) daily. In Ethiopia, relief goods are transported from Addis Ababa to the Dollo Ado camp.
A convoy of vehicles belonging to an aid organization. Distributing aid supplies outside of Mogadishu is extremely difficult in Somalia, where years of civil war have racked the country's infrastructure and militant gangs make the roads dangerous.
Another question faced by aid organizations is where food supplies should be obtained. Buying local can support African farmers and reduce transportation costs. But increased demand can also flood local markets and drive up food prices -- meaning even more people can't afford to eat. Here, emergency supplies arrive at an airport in Kenya after having been flown in from a UN stockpile in Kuwait.
"In Kenya, there is more certainty that the food will arrive safely," says Axel Dreher, professor of economics and chair of international and development politics at the University of Heidelberg. The country also has more refugees concentrated in one area, which makes for more effective distribution of goods. This photo shows Somali refugee Kadija Ibrahim Yousef, 67, in her makeshift hut in the Dadaab refugee settlement.
A view of the massive Dadaab camp in eastern Kenya. It was designed to house 90,000 people. Today, it serves as a temporary home to some 400,000 and thousands more are arriving every day.
Aid workers from Kuwait help unload a shipment of supplies in Mogadishu. The UN World Food Program has two warehouses in the city, both of which are guarded by UN troops.
Effective aid operations calculate the distribution of supplies in minute detail. For instance, one family might be allotted 30 kilos of rice, 30 kilos of beans, 15 liters of cooking oil and a canister of water for a three-month period. Here, displaced women from southern Somalia receive rations in Mogadishu.
With nowhere else to go, more and more people are fleeing to the Somali capital. For the most part, aid organizations cannot reach those in need in rural areas because of the threat of militants and lack of infrastructure.
The UN is considering transporting goods to Somalia via air drops, in which planes release aid supplies from the air. But even this tactic is dangerous: It's impossible to control who receives the packages of supplies, which would be a prime means for militant groups to make a profit. An air drop that falls into the wrong hands could thus enhance conflict in the region. Here, an almost empty market in Mogadishu.
