http://news.yahoo.com/7-5-million-going-hungry-ethiopia-crisis-worsens-142853303.html
7.5 million going hungry as Ethiopia crisis worsens
10 hours ago
Addis Ababa (AFP) - The number of hungry Ethiopians needing food aid
has risen sharply due to poor rains and the El Nino weather phenomenon
with around 7.5 million people now in need, aid officials said Friday.
That number has nearly doubled since August, when the United Nations
said 4.5 million were in need -- with the UN now warning that without
action some "15 million people will require food assistance" next
year, more than inside war-torn Syria.
"Without a robust response supported by the international community,
there is a high probability of a significant food insecurity and
nutrition disaster," the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, said in a report.
The UN children's agency, Unicef, warns over 300,000 children are
severely malnourished.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), which makes
detailed technical assessments of hunger, predicted a harvest "well
below average" in its latest report.
"Unusual livestock deaths continue to be reported," FEWS NET said.
"With smaller herds, few sellable livestock, and almost no income
other than charcoal and firewood sales, households are unable to
afford adequate quantities of food."
Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, borders the Horn of
Africa nation of Somalia, where some 855,000 people face need
"life-saving assistance", according to the UN, warning that 2.3
million more people there are "highly vulnerable".
El Nino comes with a warming in sea surface temperatures in the
equatorial Pacific, and can cause unusually heavy rains in some parts
of the world and drought elsewhere.
Hardest-hit areas are Ethiopia's eastern Afar and southern Somali
regions, while water supplies are also unusually low in central and
eastern Oromo region.
Food insecurity is a sensitive issue in Ethiopia, hit by famine in
1984-85 after extreme drought.
Today, Ethiopia's government would rather its reputation was its
near-double-digit economic growth and huge infrastructure investment
-- making the country one of Africa's top-performing economies and a
magnet for foreign investment.
Still, nearly 20 million Ethiopians live below the $1.25 poverty line
set by the World Bank, with the poorest some of the most vulnerable to
weather challenges.
Ethiopia's government has mobilised $33 million (30 million euros) in
emergency aid, but the UN says it needs $237 million.
Minster for Information Redwan Hussein told reporters at a recent
press conference that Ethiopia is doing what it can.
"The support from donor agencies has not yet arrived in time to let us
cope with the increasing number of the needy population," he said
Received on Fri Oct 02 2015 - 21:24:48 EDT