Drought: Ethiopia solicits international support

The Ethiopian Government on Friday called for more international support to tackle the exiting drought that affected some parts of the country.

The Ethiopian government and humanitarian partners on Tuesday officially launched the Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) for 2017 looking for 948 million U.S. dollars to reach 5.6 million people with emergency food and non food assistance.

Below average rains in the southern and eastern parts of the country, caused by the negative Indian Ocean Dipole and La Nina, have led to the emergence of the drought.

Communication Minister Negeri Lencho said the support from the international community is not satisfactory so far.

Although the government disclosed the magnitude of the crisis to the international community, there is no significance response or support,’’ he said.

Livestock deaths and water shortage have already been reported from the affected areas, Lencho said, adding no human life losses had been recorded.