FAO appeals for more than US$30 million emergency aid for the Horn of Africa
FAO has appealed for US$32.6 million in emergency aid for drought-stricken pastoralists, farmers and their families in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti.
Millions of people in the five countries in the Horn of Africa are suffering hunger and malnutrition because of a succession of severe droughts. Pastoral areas in Ethiopia, northern Kenya and Somalia have been particularly hard hit by the loss of large numbers of livestock. The situation is being worsened by armed conflicts and political and social instability, disrupting food production and forcing large numbers of people to abandon their homes and fields.
"FAO's goal is to support crop planting and livestock production so that agriculture can start to recover," said Anne M. Bauer, Chief of the Special Relief Operations Service, at a donors' meeting at FAO headquarters in Rome. "However, a safe and secure environment is urgently needed so that people can return to their homes and fields and have access to emergency assistance and basic services."
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31 May 2000