UN: Ethiopia drought a concern

2008-09-04 12:57

Addis Ababa - Southeastern Ethiopia is the most worrying of all the regions affected by severe food shortages in the Horn of Africa nation, and the situation is made worse by a rebellion there, the United Nations' humanitarian chief said on Wednesday.

UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs John Holmes was on the final day of a three-day trip to Ethiopia to see how the country is coping with the effects of a drought.

The UN says more than four million Ethiopians need emergency assistance and a further eight million need immediate food relief.

The drought in southeastern Ethiopia is "particularly worrying", Holmes said. "I think we need to give it special attention in the months to come."

Holmes spoke to journalists in the capital, Addis Ababa, after touring southern and southeastern Ethiopia. Earlier in the week he urged aid agencies to help ensure that Ethiopia's devastating food crisis does not become a famine.

For decades, the Ogaden National Liberation Front has been fighting for the independence of a large part of Ethiopia's southeastern region, known as the Ogaden.

The conflict intensified in May of last year when the Ethiopian government launched an offensive following a rebel attack on a Chinese-run oil exploration field in the region in which 74 workers died.

Severe floods hit Ethiopia last year, destroying most of the food crops. This year, drought has worsened the situation.

Drought is especially bad for Ethiopia because more than 80% of Ethiopians work in farming and it accounts for half of all domestic production and 85% of exports.

- AP