IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 361 
Concerning efforts to provide humanitarian relief to mitigate the effects 
of drought and avert famine in the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia, 
Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 20, 2011 
Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. CARNAHAN, Ms. LEE of California, and Ms. 
BASS of California) submitted the following resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Concerning efforts to provide humanitarian relief to mitigate 
the effects of drought and avert famine in the Horn 
of Africa, particularly Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and 
Kenya. 
Whereas the humanitarian conditions in the Horn of Africa 
are extremely close to a famine and currently more than 
11,500,000 residents of Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and 
Kenya are in need of emergency assistance; 
Whereas the Famine Early Warning System Network 
(FEWS NET) is reporting that the current drought 
plaguing the Horn of Africa is considered to be the worst 
in the region since the 1950s; 
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•HRES 361 IH 
Whereas a famine exists when three conditions occur, house-
holds lack resource to meet basic food requirements, 
when Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates exceed 30 
percent, and when the crude mortality rate (CMR) is 
equal to or above 5 people per 10,000 people per day; 
Whereas two or more of these criteria are already occurring 
in some areas of the Horn of Africa, particularly in parts 
of Somalia, where the threat of famine is compounded by 
drought, food shortage, civil war, and little government 
capacity for food distribution system; 
Whereas acute malnutrition rates in northern and eastern 
Kenya and central and southern Somalia are the highest 
seen since 2003, and GAM rates among Somali refugees 
arriving in Ethiopia have reached 47 percent; 
Whereas UNICEF estimates that more than 2,000,000 
young children are malnourished in drought-affected re-
gions, and half a million children face imminent life- 
threatening conditions, without immediate treatment, 
these children may suffer physical and mental disabilities 
for the rest of their lives, if they survive at all; 
Whereas the drought and famine-like conditions that affect 
the Horn of Africa have been brought on by successive 
seasons of low rainfall, crop failure, rising food prices, 
and livestock mortality; 
Whereas in 2011, high crop failure and low rainfall have re-
sulted in estimates that Somalia’s domestic food produc-
tion will provide for only 20 percent of Somalia’s domes-
tic consumption; 
Whereas between January and April 2011, food prices in-
creased by more than 25 percent in Kenya, resulting in 
reduced access to food staples such as maize and beans; 
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•HRES 361 IH 
Whereas as of May 2011, cereal prices in Ethiopia had in-
creased by an average of 27.5 percent compared to May 
2010 prices, with maize prices in Somali Region increas-
ing by up to 117 percent; 
Whereas as of July 2011, livestock mortality rates had 
reached 40 to 60 percent above normal rates in some 
areas of Ethiopia due to depleted grazing and water re-
sources; 
Whereas these conditions have been exacerbated by the cur-
rent conflict in southern and central Somalia, and the 
very limited access given to humanitarian organizations 
to help the people of those regions in Somalia; 
Whereas the current drought conditions, resulting in the lack 
of food, are creating a large refugee problem, which ac-
cording to the United Nations High Commissioner for 
Refugees (UNHCR) has approximately 1,300 Somalis ar-
riving at the Dadaab refugee complex in northern Kenya 
daily, and almost 2,000 Somalis arriving at the Dolo Ado 
refugee camp in Ethiopia weekly; 
Whereas to date, UNHCR estimates that 405,068 Somali 
refugees are already present in Kenya, and 123,562 So-
mali refugees are in Ethiopia; 
Whereas half of new Somali refugees arriving in Ethiopia and 
one-third arriving in Kenya are severely malnourished; 
Whereas this large movement of Somali refugees adds addi-
tional strain to neighboring countries also experiencing 
drought conditions; 
Whereas control over the southern and central regions of So-
malia by al Shabaab and other militia groups, as well as 
internal violent conflict and lawlessness, has continued to 
exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the region; 
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•HRES 361 IH 
Whereas, on July 6, 2011, USAID activated a regional Dis-
aster Assistance Response Team (DART) in Nairobi, 
Kenya, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to monitor regional 
drought conditions and coordinate response activities 
with other donors; and 
Whereas in order to achieve the goals of ensuring food secu-
rity, preventing famine, and lessening the humanitarian 
crisis, nations residing in the Horn of Africa, and more 
generally Africa as a continent, must be knowledgeable 
and effective regarding the sustainable use of natural re-
sources: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) commends the Administration for providing 
over $366,000,000 to date in response to the 
drought and famine-like conditions in the Horn of 
Africa; 
(2) commends the United States Agency for 
International Development (USAID) for providing 
$57,000,000 for the creation of a 5-year program in 
the accessible Galmuduug, Puntland, and Somali-
land regions of Somalia in order to mitigate conflict, 
promote stability and community cohesion, and 
strengthen the relationships between citizens and 
government; 
(3) calls on the United States Government to 
continue to commit the necessary resources to pro-
vide humanitarian support and nutritional relief to 
the Horn of Africa region, as well as continue to 
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•HRES 361 IH 
provide long-term development assistance through 
the President’s Feed the Future Initiative, which is 
working in the region to address the root causes of 
hunger and undernutrition and increase resilience 
among vulnerable populations; 
(4) strongly encourages international humani-
tarian organizations to continue to provide food and 
humanitarian assistance to the regions in need, 
mindful of the need for the safety and security of re-
lief workers; 
(5) calls on the Transitional Federal Govern-
ment of Somalia (TFG) and other local Somali au-
thorities to make additional effort in order to pro-
vide support and humanitarian relief to the people of 
Somalia; 
(6) calls on all parties to allow the unrestricted 
access of humanitarian aid agencies to all persons 
who are affected by drought and supports inter-
national efforts to facilitate the timely delivery of as-
sistance to those areas; 
(7) calls on the United States Government and 
the international community to remain focused on 
those most vulnerable to the current drought and 
famine-like conditions, especially women and chil-
dren; 
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•HRES 361 IH 
(8) encourages increased water conservation, 
water quality enhancement, and more efficient use of 
water resources in the region; 
(9) reaffirms the United States commitment to 
promoting the safety, health, and well-being of the 
millions of refugees around the world, as stated in 
H. Res. 1350, the World Refugee Day Resolution, 
and specifically those in the Horn of Africa during 
and after the drought; and 
(10) calls on the United States Government and 
the international community, including international 
and local nongovernmental organizations to continue 
aid and development activities in the Horn of Africa, 
in order to alleviate poverty and hunger in the re-
gion. 
Æ 
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