Oxfam: Horn of Africa Needs Faster Drought Aid

Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 7:55 am (UTC-5)
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A prominent relief agency says governments and donors are not acting fast enough to address the drought crisis in the Horn of Africa.

London-based Oxfam said Tuesday that donors must immediately fulfill pledges of aid to help more than half a million people who are at risk of starvation in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Oxfam says it wants to help 3 million people overall but faces a shortfall of $55 million for its programs.

The plea comes a day after the African Union announced it will hold a donor summit in Addis Ababa next week to raise money for the more than 12 million people affected by the drought.

The United Nations recently declared a famine in two regions of southern Somalia, and has warned that famine conditions could spread to other areas.

The U.N. last week issued an appeal for $1.4 billion.

The drought has forced hundreds of thousands of Somalis to flee their homes in search of food and water. Many have gone to camps in Mogadishu, while others have fled to crowded refugee camps in Kenya or Ethiopia.