10m Ethiopians 'need food aid'
2006-01-24 09:18
Addis Ababa - Nearly 10 million Ethiopians will need relief aid this year to ease the impact of drought-induced food and water shortages, poverty and disease that grips the Horn of Africa nation, says the United Nations on Monday.
The UN, Ethiopia's government and aid agencies needed $166m to provide emergency food, water, health care, sanitation and agriculture assistance in the country, where 2.6 million people suffered from food shortages.
The statement said another 7.2 million people also needed food aid because they were too poor to feed themselves, up from five million Ethiopians last year.
Subsistence farmers
Ethiopia was one of the world's poorest nations, with about half its estimated 77 million people living on less than $1 a day. Most people die before they reach their 50th birthday.
The increased needs came despite a third record food harvest in the country, where 80% of the population eked out a living as subsistence farmers.
Bjorn Ljungqvist, the UN's acting humanitarian co-ordinator, said: "This is one of the worst-affected nations in the world in terms of the basic conditions that people live in."
Already, 1.7 million people were facing food shortages in southeastern Ethiopia, where seasonal rains had failed and malnutrition among children was increasing. He said $10m was needed for that crisis alone.
Hunger weakens many
Ethiopia also was struggling to contain malaria, measles and meningitis, which had affected people weakened by hunger.
Ljungqvist said: "The international donor community is urged to respond generously and proactively in addressing the needs of Ethiopia.
"It will be critical they respond in a timely manner - avoiding the human tragedies and adverse economic consequences that have all too often been associated with droughts in the past."
Drought had affected other East African nations as well. Preliminary assessments showed those affected included an estimated 3.5 million in Kenya, 1.4 million in Somalia and 60 000 in Djibouti.
- AP