Over one million people need urgent food aid across the region after four consecutive rainy seasons have failed in the Horn of Africa, with a fifth also expected to fare poorly, causing the worst drought in 40 years and a major hunger crisis spanning Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia
A woman holds a malnourished child at the nutrition unit of the Kelafo Health Center in the town of Kelafo, 120 kilometers from the city of Gode, Ethiopia, on April 7, 2022. The worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa for 40 years is pushing 20 million people towards starvation, according to the UN, destroying an age-old way of life and leaving many children suffering from severe malnutrition as it rips families apart. (Image: EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Tens of thousands of children in Ethiopia are suffering from the "most deadly" form of malnutrition as a prolonged drought ravages the east and south of the country, British charity Save the Children said Thursday.
Four consecutive rainy seasons have failed in the Horn of Africa, with a fifth also expected to fare poorly, causing the worst drought in 40 years and a major hunger crisis spanning Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Over one million people need urgent food aid across the Ethiopian regions of Oromia, SNNP (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples), Somali and South West, the charity said in a statement.
"About 185,000 children (are) now estimated to be suffering from the most deadly form of malnutrition," it said.