Ethiopia in drought spotlight
2003-07-03 14:04
Addis Ababa - A United Nations special envoy for the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa has begun a six-day visit to Ethiopia and Eritrea where about 14 million people are threatened by famine.
Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland who was named to the UN post on June 18 by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, arrived on Wednesday evening in the Ethiopian capital.
He is due to hold talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the head of the country's disaster-prevention commission.
Ahtisaari is also expected to meet representatives of aid agencies operating in Ethiopia and with representatives of donor states and organisations.
His visit is aimed at reviewing "the overall humanitarian situation in Ethiopia with a special focus on chronic food insecurity and strategies to reduce the vulnerability to future droughts", said the UN office in Addis Ababa.
On Sunday, Ahtisaari will travel to the Eritrean capital, Asmara.
More than 14 million people are threatened by famine caused by a severe drought in the two Horn of Africa countries, 12.6 million of them in Ethiopia.