The United States will contribute an additional USD 1 million in emergency humanitarian assistance for the people of Eritrea. The new pledge, announced by USAID on July 18 in Eritrea, is in response to an urgent appeal for emergency shelter and household items.

Funds will be used immediately to procure 10,000 shelter kits to support plastic sheeting, 25,000 kerosene stoves with a 3-month supply of fuel, 42,000 blankets, and 17,500 bags of sanitary napkins. These items will be distributed by ERREC to displaced families in need of assistance.

The United States Government has provided over USD 20.8 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Eritrea since the resumption of border hostilities in early May. This assistance has come in the form of in-kind donations of stockpiled U.S. government relief items, cash contributions to NGOs and UN agencies, and food aid.

The following is the full text of a press release issued by USAID in Eritrea July 18, 2000

Press Briefing by Leonard M. Rogers
Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Response

Eritrea
July 18, 2000

Mr. Rogers is the senior career official in the U.S. Government responsible for disaster relief and food assistance. He has concluded a three-week mission to review progress on the humanitarian response in the Horn of Africa. He visited Ethiopia, Kenya, Southern Sudan and Eritrea.
Mr. Rogers was in Eritrea for five days to meet with Government officials, and UN and NGO personnel. He toured displaced communities in the south and made a visit to the Port of Massawa.

The most important concern is to stabilize the peace. This will allow people to return to their homes. It will allow the international community the best access to those in need. It will also allow farmers to begin to prepare for the next cropping cycle in 2001. However, increased humanitarian assistance for the Eritrean people is also important.

The United States Government has provided over USD 20.8 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Eritrea following the resumption of border hostilities in early May. This assistance has come in the form of in-kind donations of stockpiled U.S. government relief items, cash contributions to NGOs and UN agencies, and food aid.

USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Asmara on June 9, 2000 to assess conditions for the displaced and to recommend a response to the humanitarian crisis. To date, USAID/OFDA has provided USD 3.4 million to UN agencies and NGOs to support emergency response activities. Funds have been used to: 1) airlift relief items, including 10,000 units of plastic sheeting, 700 tents, 4,200 blankets and 1,600 water jugs, 2) airlift WFP ready-to-eat supplementary foods, 3) airlift ICRC-procured supplementary foods, blankets, buckets, tarpaulins and medical supplies, 4) procure and distribute kitchen sets, and 5) support nutritional monitoring, the establishment of supplementary feeding stations, and the provision of water and sanitation facilities in seven internally displaced person (IDP) sites.

Based on his brief visit and previous reports from the international community and the Government of Eritrea, Mr. Rogers recognizes food is the critical humanitarian priority. Production in Gash-Barka and southern Debub has been largely lost. Against total estimated requirements of 540,000MT per year and normal Eritrean production of 350,000 to 400,000MT, this year's production is expected to amount to only approximately 100,000MT. This means Eritrea will need to obtain some 300,000MT of food above this year's production and normal imports to meet requirements.

USAID's Office of Food for Peace (FFP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have provided roughly 62,900 metric tons of emergency food commodities to populations affected by war and drought. This assistance is valued at approximately USD 15 million. The United States Government is pleased to announce today an additional pledge of roughly 50,000 MT, bringing the total U.S. food aid pledge to over 112,000 MT. This is enough food to feed 500,000 people for six months. This brings the total value of U.S. emergency food aid to over USD 32 million. This additional amount is pledged in response to an urgent appeal from the Government of the State of Eritrea and the Eritrean Relief and Refugee Commission (ERREC). USAID is making this additional contribution with the expectation that the Government of the State of Eritrea and ERREC will expedite the delivery of food aid and provide more timely and accurate information regarding the distribution of these commodities from the Port of Massawa to warehouses in Asmara and, most importantly, onward to beneficiaries. The timely receipt of this information is critical for monitoring and long-term planning, and will be used by donor governments to determine future response activities.

Given the immediate need of the internally displaced and returning refugees from Sudan, Mr. Rogers also recognizes shelter is a priority, as well as the provision of essential household items. USAID/OFDA is pleased to announce today an additional contribution of USD 1 million to UNHCR in response to an urgent appeal for emergency shelter and household items. Funds will be used immediately to procure 10,000 shelter kits to support plastic sheeting, 25,000 kerosene stoves with a 3-month supply of fuel, 42,000 blankets, and 17,500 bags of sanitary napkins. These items will be distributed by ERREC to displaced families in need of assistance. This brings the total USAID/OFDA contribution to USD 4.4 million.

The U.S. Government, through USAID, remains committed to providing emergency humanitarian assistance to those affected by war and drought in Eritrea. Total U.S. assistance to date totals approximately USD 37 million, and the U.S. will continue to review needs. USAID hopes that other donor governments will remain similarly engaged and consider additional pledges of assistance in the very near future.