January 31, 2016
By Paul Schemm and Elias Meseret
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The U.S. has boosted its emergency food aid (click here) o Ethiopia by nearly $100 million to combat one of the worst droughts in decades, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced Sunday.
The aid is urgently needed to head off a humanitarian disaster brought on by the El Nino climate phenomenon that has affected seasonal rains, USAID administrator Gayle Smith said.
“The funding for this is not where it needs to be and we are up against very tight timelines,” she said at a briefing during the annual African Union summit, which ended Sunday. “This is the worst El Nino in history and it has affected the African continent in particular, most dramatically in Ethiopia where 11 million people have been affected.”
On Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Ethiopia’s Ziway-Dugda region, one of the areas hit by drought, where he was welcomed by thousands of residents in the streets of Ogolcho, the biggest town there. Ban visited a food distribution center, and met with farmers and relief workers.
“This challenge may last some time. With the continued and concerted effort, I think we can overcome. And I (am) very much moved to have seen how hard the people are working,” Ban said....
