afrol News, 4 February - Ethiopia has declared an emergency making an international plea for aid to feed 5.2 million people this year.

The government has appealed for at least 642,983 metric tons of food from foreign donors to address the current food shortage as a result of persistent drought as well as other factors.

According to reports, Ethiopia, which doesn’t normally succumb to pressure to make appeals for its hungry, has already received pledges for more than half of its appeal and now needs at least 246,771 tons of food aid to meet the emergency needs.

Most of the aid is said to be earmarked for the southeastern region of the country which borders Somalia, which is battling rebels of the Ogaden National Liberation Front.

The number of people in need of assistance has fluctuated since January last year and it is now estimated to be well over six million.

By staff writer

© afrol News

Related pages and feature

Current afrol News Top Stories