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Hunger levels soar in East Africa | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Nearly 17 million people in the Horn of Africa are in urgent need of food and other aid - almost twice as many as earlier this year, the UN has said. | |
Some $700m (£382m) in emergency aid is needed to prevent the region descending into full-scale famine, it said. | |
Top UN humanitarian official John Holmes said food stocks were critically low in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, northern Kenya and Uganda. | Top UN humanitarian official John Holmes said food stocks were critically low in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, northern Kenya and Uganda. |
The area has suffered from drought, conflict and rocketing food prices. | The area has suffered from drought, conflict and rocketing food prices. |
The number of those at risk could rise still further "as the drought deepens and the hunger season continues", Mr Holmes said. | |
"What we need essentially is more funds, and more funds now, otherwise the situation is going to become even more catastrophic than it is today." | "What we need essentially is more funds, and more funds now, otherwise the situation is going to become even more catastrophic than it is today." |
The estimated total for the rest of this year for those in need is $1.4bn. Almost half of that has been raised, Mr Holmes said, but there remains a shortfall of $716m. | |
"We may need significant funds after that period - this is not the end of the story," he said. | "We may need significant funds after that period - this is not the end of the story," he said. |
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation blames worldwide rises in food prices for helping to push 75 million more people into the ranks of the world's hungry last year - bringing the total to 925 million. |
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