Aid group: Poverty and hunger loom as rains fail again across East Africa
By APThursday, December 17, 2009
Aid group: Rains fail again across East Africa
NAIROBI, Kenya — An aid agency says the failure of seasonal rains in many parts of East Africa will drive millions of people to hunger and poverty unless swift action is taken.
Oxfam said Thursday some areas had received less than 5 percent of their normal November rains. It is the sixth failed rainy season for war-ravaged Somalia and the worst drought there for 20 years.
The agency says many people are malnourished in Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. The report says cattle prices have tumbled from $200 to $4 in some areas as families try to sell dying animals to buy food.
The European Commission has also announced that it will immediately release an extra $75 million to fund emergency relief for drought-stricken areas of East Africa.
