afrol News, 23 September - United Kingdom has announced £42 million emergency assistance to curb hunger crisis in the horn of Africa region.

According to department for international development, package would help feed over 17 million people facing severe hunger and malnutrition.

“The additional funding will include £22 million to be split between all of the countries in Horn of Africa and a further £20m that will go to Ethiopia to help the country cope with its worsening humanitarian crisis,” said department statement.

UK Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander said millions of people in Horn of Africa are facing critical food shortages, indicating that without urgent action their lives will be at risk.

"That is why the Department for International Development is releasing with immediate effect £42 million from emergency reserves,” he said.

He emphasised that department’s assistance would not be enough to meet needs of hungry in the region, appealing to other nations including donors to urgently respond to crisis.

Department said UK's support will go towards meeting most pressing needs on the ground and will include direct food distribution, medical support, special nutritional support for mothers and children and clean water supply.

UK has already announced US$1.4 billion over five years to improve global food security and US$178 million to address current crisis in the Horn.

This announcement comes ahead of a major meeting of global, business, faith and civil society at UN in New York on Thursday. At this meeting on Millennium Development Goals, food security will be a central theme.

On Friday UN called on donors to help address growing humanitarian need of as many as 17 million people in the Horn of Africa. Drought and food shortages in the region have led to growing number of people in need of emergency assistance and there is a US $716 million funding shortfall for next three months, according to reports.

UN said the situation was critical in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti, and was seriously deteriorating in Eritrea, northern Kenya and north eastern Uganda.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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