US announces $524 million in new aid for Horn of Africa drought, climate crisis

The United States has announced $524 million in additional humanitarian aid for the Horn of Africa that aims to put a spotlight on the extreme effects of climate change and the worst drought in the region in 40 years. The aid announcement also seeks to highlight the need for more than $5 billion. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield made the announcement Wednesday at a U.N. pledging conference. The U.N. has appealed for $7 billion and has received just $1.6 billion. That's far from enough to help the 43 million people in need of assistance in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya or even just the 21 million among them who don’t have enough food.