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Nearly 30,000 in Drought-Hit Djibouti Need Food - UN |
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| SWITZERLAND: April 26, 2005 | ||
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GENEVA - Nearly 30,000 people in Djibouti who have lost livestock due to worsening drought need emergency food and clean drinking water, the United Nations said on Friday.
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Supplies would be needed over the next six months due to insufficient rainfall and overgrazing, particularly in the south, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. "Many households have lost their entire herds and thousands of people are moving from rural areas to urban centres in search of assistance," it said in a statement. After a preliminary study, UN aid agencies have started distributing a month's food ration in the desert country. Djibouti also relies on produce from Ethiopia, where cereal prices remain "unseasonably high", according to the statement. The Djibouti government appealed earlier this month for aid, including food for 5,730 malnourished children under five, and veterinary expertise to save remaining livestock dying from parasites and diseases, it added. UN aid experts plan to carry out a wider assessment study in late April to draw up a formal appeal to donors for funds.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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