In 1992 Swedish emergency assistance was given to eight countries in Southern Africa to help them overcome the consequences of a severe drought which caused a major food deficit in the whole region. International donors and UN agencies organized a relief operation, called Drought Emergency in Southern Africa (DESA), to assist the 10 countries which are members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the regional aspects of the DESA intervention, particularly the Swedish part of it, and to draw conclusions from the experience.