• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

United States To Provide $200,000 for Emergency Relief in Kenya

08 January 2008

Aid to help those displaced by election-related violence

Washington -- The United States will provide $200,000 to the Kenya Red Cross Society for relief supplies for people displaced by violence related to the disputed presidential election, according to a January 7 press release from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

As of January 2, an estimated 100,000 people, primarily in western Kenya, had been displaced since the December 27, 2007, election, according to the Red Cross Society. Media reports indicate approximately 500 deaths have resulted from election-related violence. On January 3, U.S. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger declared an "urgent need for assistance in response to the humanitarian situation," the release said.

USAID said its staff members in Kenya are coordinating with other U.S. and international agencies to facilitate humanitarian assistance to affected populations.

President Bush January 7 said he welcomed the visit of African Union Chairman John Kufuor to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, to facilitate talks to resolve Kenya’s political crisis.

"I condemn the use of violence as a political tool and appeal to both sides to engage in peaceful dialogue aimed at finding a lasting political solution," Bush said.

The latest emergency assistance is in addition to the more than $300 million in USAID development support to Kenya for health, economic growth, democracy and governance, peace and security and other humanitarian assistance programs.

The United States also has provided emergency relief to other countries in Africa affected by conflict. For example, since 2005 the United States has given more than $4 billion in humanitarian, peacekeeping, reconstruction and development aid to Sudan. The USAID development program in Sudan, involving health, education, infrastructure and governance efforts, is the largest such program in Africa, according to a November 2007 State Department fact sheet.

Kenya is one of the 15 countries targeted by the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). In addition, there are 144 Peace Corps volunteers currently serving the country in education, including deaf education, small business development, and health and HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

Nairobi hosts the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in sub-Saharan Africa. The United States works closely with Kenya on a range of regional concerns, including the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to resolve hostilities in Sudan and bilateral initiatives on Somalia.

The United States provides assistance to 47 countries in Africa. U.S. foreign assistance to Africa is directed to helping African governments and institutions and African-based organizations incorporate good governance reforms and innovative approaches to health, education, economic growth, agriculture and environmental protection.

The press release is available on USAID's Web site.

The full text of the fact sheet on aid to Sudan is available on the State Department Web site.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)