Ethiopia’s government is warning it will run out of emergency food aid starting next month as the number of drought victims in the East African country has reached 7.8 million.
An international delegation visited one of the worst-affected areas on Friday near the border with Somalia, which suffers from drought as well.
Ethiopia’s disaster relief chief Mitiku Kassa says the country needs more than $1 billion for emergency food assistance. Seasonal rains have been few and local cattle are dying.
The International Organization for Migration says hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, with the problem compounded as people pour in from Somalia.
A United Nations humanitarian envoy says donor fatigue and similar crises elsewhere have hurt aid efforts. Ahmed Al-Meraikhi says the main concern is averting a famine.
