East African countries need some $700m (£382m) in emergency aid to stave off the risk of descending into full-scale famine, the United Nations has warned.

Top UN humanitarian official John Holmes said food stocks were critically low in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, northern Kenya and Uganda.

The area has suffered from drought, conflict East Africa marks terror attacks ...
Jitka Škovránková, the head of a Czech hospital in Uganda ...
African goals first at G-8 summit ...
Kenya urges AU to suspend Mugabe ... and rocketing food prices.

The UN estimates almost 17 million people are in urgent need of food and other aid across the Horn of Africa.

"This number could even rise as the drought deepens and the hunger season continues," Mr Holmes said.

"What we need essentially is more funds, and more funds now, otherwise the situation is going to become even more catastrophic than it is today."

The estimated total need for the 17 million hungry for the rest of this year is $1.4bn. Almost half of that has been raised, Mr Holmes said, but there remains a shortfall of $716m.

"We may need significant funds after that period - this is not the end of the story," he said.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization blames worldwide rises in food prices for helping to push 75 million more people into the ranks of the world's hungry last year - bringing the total to 925 million.

(BBC)

<< Back