Humanitarian assistance is desperately needed for over 3.5 million Ethiopians, the government here has reported. It comes as the seasonal rains that were expected in the East African country had not come, leaving more and more in dire need of help.
“We are working hard to coordinate with international aid agencies to assist those in need, especially farmers,” a ministry of agriculture official confirmed to Bikyamasr.com on Thursday.
He added that without the rains, “Ethiopians in rural areas are to struggle to survive without adequate assistance from the international community.”
The government has linked the problem with the rains to climate change.
It also said last month that by the end of the year, some 3.7 million Ethiopians will require humanitarian aid in order to avoid a massive crisis that could cross borders.
“The lack of rainfall is being blamed on climate change, with experts saying it is leading to erratic rain patterns and disruption to normal seasonal changes,” Reuters news agency reported.
For farmers in the country, the failure of the rains to come earlier this year means they have been unable to grow enough crops to supply the country’s needs.
The hope is that through assistance, it can stave off widespread starvation and hope that the rains will return to the country early next year.
BM
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