|
|
Ethiopia: At Least 3 Million Ethiopians Now Need Food Aid - UN Relief Wing
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
UN News Service (New York)
19 May 2008
Posted to the web 19 May 2008
Some 3.2 million people are now in urgent need of food aid in Ethiopia because of the continued drought in the African country, up from 2.2 million just one month ago, according to the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Humanitarian agencies in Ethiopia say they face a shortfall in food aid valued at $147 million.
"I am deeply concerned about the food security situation in Ethiopia, and the consequent increasing numbers of malnourished children, as a result of the current drought," UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said in a statement issued today.
"We will need a rapid scaling up of resources, especially food and nutritional supplies, to make increased life-saving aid a reality."
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns that as many as 6 million children under the age of five are at risk of acute malnutrition. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says it is in danger of running out of supplies of relief commodities such as blended food, which is a special supplement for children and other vulnerable groups.
The shortage of blended food is already impeding the ability of the Government and humanitarian agencies to provide help to people suffering from severe acute malnutrition and the nutritional disease kwashiorkor. There has been a rapid increase in such cases in recent weeks in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR) and Oromiya Region.
UNICEF needs 1,800 metric tons of ready-to-use therapeutic food for the coming three months for Oromiya Region and SNNPR alone. It currently has only 6 metric tons in stock, and is to receive another 90 metric tons, which is expected to last just two weeks.
"The Government of Ethiopia, the UN, donors and NGOs [non-governmental organizations] are responding to the crisis, but the enormity of the problem means that more resources will be required to alleviate the suffering of those affected in the coming weeks and months," OCHA said.
|
Rising food prices in Ethiopia have also contributed to the deteriorating situation. The WFP estimates that the price of maize increased by 83 per cent, sorghum by 89 per cent and wheat by 54 per cent between September 2007 and February 2008.
It is shameful that Ethiopia under this dispicble TPLF/Weyane regime has received millions of aid than ever before. Recently, this government has been waging war against NGOs who are aiding Ethiopians. Yes, indeed, this government with the help of the U.S and Britain is waging war against Ethiopians, by dividing them ethnically so that it can divide and conquer. This government is anti Ethiopians, particulary against other ethnicities other than Tigray. This regime not only threatens Ethiopians in Ethiopia, it also has power overseas because of the millions of dollars it is getting from the West and millions... [Read Full Text]
Besides invading Somalia and waging endless wars against Eritrea, for over 50 years, Ethiopia has been waging ethnic wars against it's own people, while the world always bailed out Ethiopia from constant famines, every time Ethiopia cry 'wolf'. How's that all other African countries manage to feed their own people, while Ethiopia constantly remains the classical face and belly basket of all famines that ever struck humanity. Instead of baby-sitting Ethiopia, every time Ethiopia hit with YET another devastating and humiliating famine, it's time the world demand the minority ethnic apartheid-junta, ruining Ethiopia, to stop waging wars... [Read Full Text]
I can see where you are coming from. How absurd and radiculous can you be? In the first place, draught is not man made. This is not the first time Ethiopia faces draught and it is not the only country. What about your country, Eritrea where more than 60% of the population needs foods assistance. I think you are taking advantage of the issue of draught to vent you anger because you country Eritrea was humiliated by the brave courageous peoples of Ethiopia. You display so much animosity and anger against Ethiopians. You must be Eritrean although you... [Read Full Text]
I have read both the comments on this piece of news. As an outsider who has contact with Africa only through the world news channels I cannot completely understand the sectarian/ethnic issues that divide the continent. Yet, I feel that this divide is the reason why there is no real progress being made. No tangible plans can me developed and executed as long as people remain divided on ethnic grounds. War in Africa is more a consequence of economic issues than a cause of it. Because of your constant bickering other nations are taking advantage of your situation. Your aim... [Read Full Text]
Preparedness pays
Conventional wisdom tells us, in most cases, what the future holds is unknown. Men may have the capacity to predict certain types of disasters but usually they do lack the power to prevent them. Natural and man made disasters are not entirely the "poor nations lot". Developed nations are also powerless before a sudden adversity. However, effects of disasters are more lethal on poor and backward nations than on the rich, industrialized nations. The reason is developed nations are well prepared institutionally for early prediction, mitigation and response. The frequency of disaster occurrences added with their intensification and... [Read Full Text]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 UN News Service. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
