Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 6 september

Ethiopia faces worst drought in years as millions at risk

is home to a rebel move- providing us any milk and
ment that seeks secession. meat. We are really hun-
“This particular year is more gry. And we are suffering.”
intense due to the fact Another local chief, Sheikh
that it’s the third for fourth Ibrahim Mohamed, said he
year that the drought re- has lost half of his cattle in
peats itself in this region,” the past two years.
Jose Graziano da Silva, di- “The youth are leaving the
rector-general of the Food area to other towns and vil-
and Agriculture Organiza- lages nearby, but I’ve no-
tion, told The Associated where to go,” the 62-year-
Press. “In Africa, Ethiopia old said. “I can’t abandon
was best-prepared to face my family and my remain-
the impacts of climate ing cattle and flee this
change. But after having area. I will die here.”
three successive years of El While no official death tolls
Nino, the country is unable are available, regional of-
to deal with it alone.” ficials say half of Danan
The situation has been district’s estimated 280,000
overshadowed by drought cattle have died, a serious
in neighboring Somalia blow to the seminomad-
In this photo taken Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, a child attends to his malnourished calf in the Danan dis- and the famine that was ic population that relies
trict of the Somali region of Ethiopia, which hasn’t seen significant amounts of rain in the past three briefly declared earlier this on the animals for food,
years. Despite economic growth in the past decade that has made Ethiopia one of Africa’s fast-
est-developing countries, rural areas are suffering as the nation faces its worst drought in years. year in parts of neighboring transport and income. Aid
(AP Photo/Elias Meseret) South Sudan, aid workers groups say an additional
say. Over 27 million people 2.2 million households re-
By ELIAS MESERET the last attempt to save the ricultural Development in East Africa are in need quire livestock-related as-
Associated Press lives of humans and animals made a rare joint visit over of food assistance, largely sistance until the end of
DANAN, Ethiopia (AP) — until the rains hopefully ma- the weekend. because of drought, ac- the year.
Men, women and children terialize in mid-September. Despite economic growth cording to FAO. Ethiopia’s government
in this remote region of Ethi- More than eight million in the past decade that “The aid we are receiving says it has invested more
opia scramble to receive people in drought-hit has made Ethiopia one of is not enough to feed our- than $400 million in the hu-
food aid and feed their rail- southeastern and south- Africa’s fastest-developing selves and our animals,” a manitarian relief effort, and
thin cattle as a huge cloud ern Ethiopia are in need countries, rural areas are local chief, Sheikh Hussein aid groups say the govern-
of dust rises into a sky that of emergency food assis- suffering as the nation fac- Mohammed, told the del- ment is now beyond its
hasn’t delivered enough tance, officials said as the es its worst drought in years. egation. “Besides, the food capacity to deal with the
rain for the past three years. heads of the World Food This barren district called that is being delivered to us drought alone.
The mass feeding program, Program, Food and Agri- Danan, populated mostly is not the one that we are The United States last week
managed by aid groups in culture Organization and by ethnic Somalis, has been used to eating. And worst announced $91 million in
this sun-scorched district, is International Fund for Ag- historically neglected and of all, the animals aren’t additional aid as the new
head of the U.S. Agency
Amnesty: Boko Haram killings have doubled in 5 months for International Develop-
ment, Mark Green, visited
the country as part of his
By CARLEY PETESCH the attacks in highly popu- Africa. “This wave of shock- into and attacking towns in first overseas trip.
Associated Press lated areas in Cameroon’s ing Boko Haram violence, neighboring countries, in- “During my visit to the So-
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Far North region and Nige- propelled by a sharp rise cluding Cameroon and Ni- mali region, which is expe-
Nigeria-based Boko Haram ria’s Borno and Adamawa in suicide bombings, high- ger, that contribute to a re- riencing near famine-like
extremists have killed more states, the rights group lights the urgent need for gional military force trying conditions, I saw the dire
than 380 people in the said. Cameroon has experi- protection and assistance to eliminate the insurgency. need for food assistance,”
Lake Chad region since enced at least one suicide for millions of civilians in the Nigeria and Cameroon’s Green told reporters.
April, a major resurgence of attack per week, it said. Lake Chad region.” governments should take The weekend visit by the
attacks that has doubled “Boko Haram is once again Nigeria’s military have swift action to protect civil- heads of WFP, FAO and
the casualties compared committing war crimes on pushed more Boko Haram ians in need of humanitar- IFAD also was aimed at ad-
to the previous five months, a huge scale, exemplified fighters from the Sambisa ian assistance, said Amnes- dressing the root causes of
Amnesty International said by the depravity of forcing Forest in Nigeria to the ty. Boko Haram’s increased the drought and improving
Tuesday. young girls to carry explo- Mandara Mountains in attacks have made it diffi- communities’ ability to pre-
The spike in attacks by the sives with the sole intention Cameroon, a possible ex- cult to carry out humanitar- pare for future shocks.
Islamic extremists is a result of killing as many people planation for the increased ian operations, it said. “We’ve got to scale up
of increased use of suicide as they possibly can,” said attacks in Cameroon, Am- Boko Haram has killed more and stop working on a
bombers, often women Alioune Tine, Amnesty’s di- nesty said. Boko Haram ex- than 20,000 people during project-based approach,”
and girls, who carry out rector for West and Central tremists have been crossing its eight-year insurgency. q said Gilbert Houngbo, q