Joint appeal issued to fight drought

Fri Jul 8th 2011

Food and relief agencies are appealing to the international community to provide political and financial support to combat a devastating drought gripping five countries in the Horn of Africa.

The Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program and the Oxfam aid organization issued a joint appeal Friday for assistance in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.

They said people requiring emergency assistance have grown from 6.3 million early this year to 10 million today. The majority of those affected are in Kenya.

The statement urged the international community to extend the necessary "political, moral and financial means" required to address the crisis.