U.S. to provide $113M in additional aid to Horn of Africa

President Obama on Thursday announced "an additional $113 million in emergency relief assistance for the Horn of Africa ... [to] support urgently needed food, health, shelter, water and assistance needs," according to a White House statement. The additional aid adds to the approximately $870 million already provided to assist the region with emergency relief, according to the statement, which noted the administration is making long-term investments in food security through the Feed the Future initiative.

"As we enter the season of giving and renewal, more than 13.3 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance amid the worst drought the region has seen in 60 years. The heartbreaking accounts of lives lost and of those struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and the need to reach out to people in need," Obama said in the statement (12/23).