ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia appealed yesterday for 159,410 tonnes of emergency aid to feed 6.2 million people, 25 years after more than a million perished in the country’s notorious famine.
Aid workers say a five-year drought is afflicting more than 23 million people in seven east African nations.
Mitiku Kassa, Ethiopia’s state minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, said this year’s rains were especially poor. “As a result, the number of people needing emergency assistance during the period October to December 2009 has increased to 6.2 million from 4.9 million at beginning of the year,” he said. Ethiopia has a population of 83 million.
Mr Kassa appealed for 159,410 tonnes of food, costing $121 million, $8.9 million worth of fortified blended food for malnourished women and children, and for $45 million in non-food needs.
UN humanitarian co-ordinator Fidelle Sarassaro urged the Ethiopian government to ensure aid workers had free access to the war-torn eastern Somali region.
“Access has been a challenge for the non-food sector, and needs to be addressed. The subject has been under consultation with the government at all levels,” he said.
Oxfam called for an end to what it called “knee-jerk” reactions to food crises that focused on sending food aid. While food did save lives, it failed to offer longer-term solutions.
Oxfam said communities at risk should be helped to prevent and deal with disasters before they strike, rather than relying on short-term emergency relief supplies. – (Reuters)