Almost 10 million Ethiopians are facing extreme hunger in the Amhara and Tigray regions due to war conflicts and a severe drought, the British charity Ogzam announced today, reports the BBC, as reported by Ajazira.
In the report of the federal authorities, it is stated that about 400 people have died of hunger in those regions so far, reports Beta.
A lack of funding and armed conflicts in the Ahmara region have hampered humanitarian efforts.
Ogzam said that unless humanitarian aid efforts are increased, the whole of northern Ethiopia will face a humanitarian disaster.
Local officials in Tigray province say there is a major threat of mass extreme starvation, but the federal government is dismissing the possibility.
Last year, the United Nations (UN) managed to collect only a third of the required four billion dollars needed for Ethiopia.
– The deadly combination of malnutrition, mass displacement and disease is growing rapidly – warned Katrin Russell, executive director of UNICEF.
– We need safe, sustainable and unimpeded humanitarian access across conflict lines and borders. International support is also needed to maintain basic services and systems that children rely on to survive – she added.
UNICEF is seeking $840 million in aid for just over 7.5 million children in Sudan.
Sudan’s 10-month war between its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) has destroyed the country’s infrastructure, raised fears of famine and displaced millions of people.