From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Thu Feb 04 2010 - 10:21:03 EST
Ethiopian Government Appeals for Aid to Feed 5.2 Million PeopleFebruary 04,
2010, 05:15 AM EST
By Jason McLure
Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Ethiopia needs emergency aid to feed 5.2 million
people this year, the government said, appealing for 642,983 metric tons of
food from foreign donors.
The Horn of Africa nation has already received confirmed pledges for 396,212
tons of food and is still seeking 246,771 tons of aid valued at $188
million, the government and aid agencies said in a report e-mailed to
reporters late yesterday in the capital, Addis Ababa.
More than a quarter of those in need are in Ethiopia’s southeastern Somali
region, which borders Somalia. Much of the area is under the control of the
Ethiopian military, which is battling rebels of the Ogaden National
Liberation Front.
The number of people in need of assistance is higher than the 4.9 million
estimated to need emergency aid in January 2009. That figure was revised to
6.2 million in August following poor rains.
Ethiopia received more than 550,000 tons of emergency food aid last year, of
which about 313,000 tons was donated by the U.S., the report said.
--Editors: Paul Richardson, Karl Maier.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jason McLure in Addis Ababa via
Johannesburg on +27-11-286-1999 or pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin in
Johannesburg at +27-11-286-1934, or asguazzin@bloomberg.net.
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