The UN’s humanitarian agency says it is concerned by the worsening drought in Ethiopia and needs more funds to step up its response efforts.
The United Nations today stepped up its efforts to mitigate the effects of the worst drought to strike Ethiopia in 30 years, with an appeal from the heads of four UN humanitarian bodies for massive international funding now to pre-empt the high risk of death and large scale suffering later.
The drought has impacted four million people in the conflict-ridden Amhara and Oromia regions, as well as Afar and Tigray, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday.
“Multiple and often overlapping crises have severely weakened people’s ability to cope with climate shocks such as drought – leaving millions of people vulnerable to falling even further into severe need and destitution,” the agency added.
“So far, donors have provided an additional $200 million in aid, but there are early indications that the amount needed to make sure lives are not lost could be around $1 billion. Ethiopia needs that money now, if we are to avert a second tragedy in 30 years,” they added, referring to the catastrophic drought that killed hundreds of thousands from 1983 to 1985.
“With the leadership of the Government and the support of the international community, Ethiopians can survive this crisis without witnessing a repeat of the devastating famine that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives 30 years ago,” they wrote, noting that back-to-back droughts exacerbated by the strongest El Niño phenomenon on record have pit 10 million people in need of Government support.
By early next year, projections indicate that 400,000 children could suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition, a potentially fatal condition that requires immediate treatment, with some having massive loss of body fat and muscle that makes them look almost elderly, and others becoming puffy with their hair.
“Both sets of symptoms mean there is a high risk of death,” the four warned. “The key to stopping this crisis in its tracks is early warning followed by decisive action.”
They noted that the Government’s safety net programme, the largest in Africa, will assist eight million of the poorest Ethiopians to access food.
Source:UN
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