Nairobi — The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) has appealed to world leaders to take urgent action to address the food crisis sweeping across Africa.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Nairobi-based Ecumenical body expressed surprise that despite the looming human catastrophe facing the continent, pleas for action "seem not to have caught the international community."

The statement was addressed to Heads of State and Governments in Africa, the African Union (AU), Western Governments as well as a number of international aid agencies.

"People are dying daily. Most of those alive are too weak to produce food. Their animals are also dying...the world must come together and help. Refugees are dying in camps from Southern Africa to Central Africa, to Eastern Africa and to the Horn of Africa," the statement warned.