International action needed to fight another famine looming in Ethiopia

THE European Commission and the international community must allocate further food resources to help the people of Ethiopia. It is accepted by the government there that 4.6 million people are at acute risk due to food shortages.

Drought in many parts of the country is the primary cause of these critical problems once again.

Out of this total figure of 4.6 million people, 75,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition, exacerbated this year by an outbreak of measles in many drought-affected areas. The government there denies that a famine is taking place, but other international organisations such as UNICEF claim a famine situation already exists in some parts of the country.