Africa News
Red Cross asks for 95 million dollars for Horn of Africa
Dec 11, 2008, 18:54 GMT
Geneva - Over 20 million people are at risk of a major food crisis in the Horn of Africa, the Red Cross said Thursday, prompting it to appeal for 95 million dollars for those in the most dire conditions.
The five-year emergency plan the International Federation of the Red Cross launched was for aid to 2.2 million people 'on the brink of famine' in Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
The crisis in Ethiopia was deemed by a recent Red Cross assessment to be worse than previously thought.
Eritrea and Sudan, while not part of the appeal, were also considered to have serious unaddressed food security issues.
The food crisis in the region has been blamed on rising commodity prices, especially of cereals and fuel, fluctuations in the dollar and droughts. Djibouti has experienced four consecutive seasons of poor rainfall, while Kenya has seen three.
Political problems in the region have contributed to a declining situation.
'This crisis, if not responded to, has the potential to develop into famine not seen on such a scale in many years,' the federation said.
The programme will include food distributions, health initiatives and water and sanitation projects.
The lack of water, while posing a risk of the spread of diseases such as cholera, has also caused people to lose their livelihoods, which the Red Cross said it will try to address by developing alternative jobs for farmers.
'We are not aiming at the survival of people, but rather allowing for a life of dignity,' said Roger Bracke of the Federation.
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