Ethiopia drought: UK pledges £38m in food aid

The UK has pledged £38m ($61m) in food aid to drought-hit Ethiopia - enough to feed 1.3m people for three months.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the World Food Programme cash would also treat 329,000 malnourished children and mothers.
He warned that other countries must also give money if a full-scale disaster was to be avoided.
The African country faces its worst drought for a decade with an estimated 3.2m people in need of emergency aid.
Mr Mitchell said: "Through no fault of its own, the Horn of Africa is experiencing a severe drought caused by the failed rains.
"Britain is acting quickly and decisively in Ethiopia to stop this crisis becoming a catastrophe. We will provide vital food to help 1.3 million people through the next three months.
"This situation needs an international response and Britain is calling on the international community to provide fast, effective relief."

Jane Cocking Oxfam

Oxfam welcomed the announcement and said the money could not come soon enough.

Humanitarian director Jane Cocking said: "There are already critical and life-threatening food shortages in Ethiopia and across the Horn of Africa region.
"Two successive poor rains have left millions of people struggling to get food as hundreds of thousands of livestock have died and crops have failed.
"Other donors now need to follow suit and increase funding before it is too late."
Mr Mitchell urged the Ethiopian government to provide the latest estimates of those affected - particularly in the south - so that aid agencies could target their relief.
"For the response to be effective, we need the most up-to-date, accurate information on the level of need in Ethiopia," he said.
"The country has made great strides in many areas over the past 30 years and this emergency relief will help to ensure that these gains are not eroded."

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