U.N. food program appeals for more aid in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Reuters) -- The U.N. World Food Program on Sunday appealed for a further 254,000 tons of food aid for 10.5 million people facing starvation in Ethiopia.

A WFP statement said about 5.7 million of the people at risk were in need of urgent assistance.

"They are farmers and pastoralists who continue to suffer from food shortages," it said.

The current crisis results from the failure of rains during Ethiopia's crop-growing seasons, said the WFP's Country Director in Ethiopia, Judith Lewis.

"The full effects of the drought are still being felt, and the need for more food -- as well as interventions in health, water, agriculture, livestock and other areas -- is now critical if a major human tragedy is to be avoided."

The Ethiopian government, in July, revised upwards the number of people it said needed food aid, from eight million to 10.5 million. The government is now appealing for 1.2 million tons of food, up from the former estimate of 900,000 tons.

Lewis said donor response to an earlier WFP appeal for 253,500 tons of food aid for 3.4 million people had been positive. "We've received some 182,000 tons in response to our original request," she said.

In May, joint U.N. and government teams assessed the food situation throughout the country.

"They concluded that food security in the belg (small rain) producing areas and in the pastoral regions was seriously deteriorating," Lewis said.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more Africa news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about Africa

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.