"Five years of severe drought in Eritrea, coupled with the ongoing border dispute with Ethiopia, have exhausted the coping mechanisms of vulnerable farming families throughout the country, contributing to widespread poverty and food insecurity," the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Thursday.

Eritrea's 2004 harvest was less than half the average of the previous 12 years, and made up only about 15 percent of the annual national cereal requirements, UN agencies said.

"Last year's meagre harvest has already been exhausted and the hunger season, which arrived two months early in March, is expected to continue until the next harvest in November," the FAO statement said.

"Approximately 40 percent of all young Eritrean children and an estimated 41 percent of all women are chronically malnourished."

US President George W. Bush pledged $674 million to ease famine in Ethiopia, Eritrea and other countries, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair promised $300 million, $50 million of that for Ethiopia, according to the White House. The money was reallocated from previously existing budgets.

Failure to demarcate the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea following their 1998-2000 war is also a serious obstacle to food security in Eritrea, experts say.

Tensions between the two countries remain high, and an estimated 300,000 Eritreans currently serve in the military, severely reducing the agricultural labour force and restricting other opportunities for income.