Ethiopia requests emergency aid for millions

2009-10-23 15:51:48 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - News, World News)

Ethiopia is requesting emergency food aid for over six million people.

The country is reportedly seeking emergency food assistance for over six million people.

Ethiopia (WiredPRNews.com) – Ethiopia is reportedly in need of emergency assistance of urgent food aid after a prolonged drought. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), the country has requested urgent aid to provide food for 6.2 million people.

As noted in the report, the drought has affected those in the Horn of Africa, particularly those living in Ethiopia where an overwhelming majority of people live off of farming their land.

Nick Martlew, of the aid group Oxfam in Ethiopia, is quoted by the AP as stating of the pressing circumstances, “Really until June next year there is going to be insufficient food around… Where we are in eastern Ethiopia you can look out and it’s completely barren as far as the eye can see.”

Oxfam’s Ethiopia country director, Waleed Rauf is further quoted as stating of the long-term implications for the country, “The current humanitarian situation underlines our belief that while food aid — much of it donated by foreign donors — is important and can save lives, we need greater funding for longer-term solutions, which can begin to tackle the underlying causes that make people so vulnerable to disasters.”
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