The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Dr. Jean Ping made a one day visits to Dolo-Ado refugee camps in Ethiopia to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground, as part of the AU’s effort to assist the victims of the famine in the Horn of Africa, Over twelve (12) million people are seeking for an urgent humanitarian assistance.
During his visit to the different camps in Dolo-Ado, Dr. Ping was briefed by the different agencies who are working on the ground and trying to extend the necessary assistance to the drought affected people in the area. The estimated number of the drought affected people in Dolo Ado camp is about 120 thousand, and all are from Somalia.
The visit of Dr. Ping to Dolo- Ado comes 10 days before the Pledging conference, organized by the AUC under the theme “One Africa-One Voice against Hunger” for victims of drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. The conference is scheduled to take place on the 25th of August at the Headquarters of the African Union. It aims at raising resources and awareness amongst AU Member States and the wider international population in the Horn of Africa and particularly in Somalia.
UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) are currently feeding 3.7 million people in Ethiopia, including 238,000 refugees.
The funding requirement is estimated at US$ 2 billion in aid to respond to the drought emergency. Out of this, US$ 1 billion has already been committed so far, and out of the 12.4 million people requiring general food assistance an estimated 8.4 million are being reached.
The Chairperson was accompanied by H.E.Mr. Cheick A.T.Camera Ambassador of Guinea,Chairperson of PRC Sub-Committee on Refugees and Displaced Persons, H.E. Michèle Lévesque Canadian Ambassador, Chairperson of AU
Partners Group, H.E. Michael Battle, US Ambassador to AU,UNHCR Ethiopia country Representative Moses Okello,Yehualashet Gebre Medhin of the Administration for Refugee-Returnee Affairs (ARRA) and Steven Were Omamo, Director and Representative of WFP Liaison Officer to the AU/ECA.