The number of Ethiopians who will need food aid by the end of this year has surged by more than 1.5 million from earlier estimates due to failed rains, the United Nations said.
Ethiopia needs an extra $230-million from donors to secure aid for a total of 4.5 million people now projected to require assistance this year. File photo
Image by: PASCAL ROSSIGNOL / REUTERS
Ethiopia needs an extra $230-million from donors to secure aid for a total of 4.5 million people now projected to require assistance this year, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme and the UN children’s agency UNICEF said in a statement.
“The belg rains were much worse than … predicted at the beginning of the year. Food insecurity increased and malnutrition rose as a result,” said David Del Conte, the humanitarian agency’s acting head of office in Ethiopia, referring to the short, seasonal rainy season from February to April.