Persistent Drought doubles number of Ethiopians needing aid-UN
Pastor Dale Morgan
Persistent Drought doubles number of Ethiopians needing aid-UN*
Reuters
Friday, June 13, 2008; 12:23 PM
GENEVA (Reuters) - Drought in Ethiopia has caused food shortages, killed
livestock and more than doubled the number of people needing urgent
humanitarian aid to 5 million, the United Nations said on Friday.
"Seasonal rains have been poor or have failed in many parts of Ethiopia
with dramatic effects on harvests in crop-producing areas," said
Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs.
The United Nations is seeking $325 million to provide nearly 400,000
tonnes of food aid as well as health and other assistance through
November to people in Ethiopia's hard-hit south and southeastern
regions, which border Somalia and Kenya.
Some 4.6 million people are now in need of assistance, compared to 2.2
million before the drought took hold, Byrs said.
As many as 75,000 children are already suffering from acute malnutrition
and illness as a result of the drought, which the United Nations said
has compounded pressure on poor Ethiopians squeezed by an increase in
the global prices of cereals and other foods.
(Reporting by Laura MacInnis; Editing by Stephanie Nebehay)