United Nations warns of famine in Horn of Africa
The UN has warned of a severe food crisis in the region due to drought and rising food prices
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Saturday, 20, Sep 2008 10:34
The United Nations' humanitarian relief chief John Holmes has warned of a severe famine in the Horn of Africa if emergency funds are not received.
Mr Holmes warned that about 17 million people, including three million children, would face starvation if food and humanitarian relief supplies were not provided over the next few months.
He called for donors and member states to arrange for $716 million (£391 million) in funding for emergency relief efforts.
Mr Holmes said: "The overall food security situation in the Horn of Africa – Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, parts of northern Kenya and north-eastern Uganda – is getting even more serious than it was before because of the combined effects of drought, rising food prices and in some places conflict.
"This number could rise if the drought deepens and the hunger season continues," he added.
He warned that conditions could deteriorate to levels "more catastrophic" than the famine of the 1980s and 1990s in the region.
"In particular in the Somali region of Ethiopia where the rains have failed for the third successive year. People there talk to me in desperation about the worst situation since 1928 when the whole of their livestock died," Mr Holmes said.