Government of Ethiopia has asked the international community aid for
175 million dollars to face the drought affecting East Africa,
recalling the famine of 25 years ago led to the deaths of over 1
million people, writes The Wall Street Journal .
More than 23 million people in East Africa have limited resources of water and food, mostly due to drought, as non-governmental organization Oxfam International. The main reasons that brought the region in such a situation are the lack of rain, which is felt in increased food prices, and investment in agriculture.
"It is the worst drought of the past 10 years," said Paul Smith-Lomas, regional director of Oxfam International. Periods of drought in the region increasingly often put in difficulty even in the more developed countries. "It was a bad year in a series of bad years," he said Smith-Lomas.
Mitiku Kassa, Ethiopian minister for emergency situations, said the number of people who depend on such aid has increased from 4.9 million last year to 6.2 million currently, from a population of 83 million. Some of the 175 million dollars will be invested in agriculture, and the remaining amount is 160,000 tons of aid health and nutrition.
More than 23 million people in East Africa have limited resources of water and food, mostly due to drought, as non-governmental organization Oxfam International. The main reasons that brought the region in such a situation are the lack of rain, which is felt in increased food prices, and investment in agriculture.
"It is the worst drought of the past 10 years," said Paul Smith-Lomas, regional director of Oxfam International. Periods of drought in the region increasingly often put in difficulty even in the more developed countries. "It was a bad year in a series of bad years," he said Smith-Lomas.
Mitiku Kassa, Ethiopian minister for emergency situations, said the number of people who depend on such aid has increased from 4.9 million last year to 6.2 million currently, from a population of 83 million. Some of the 175 million dollars will be invested in agriculture, and the remaining amount is 160,000 tons of aid health and nutrition.
