Thousands of drought-stricken people invade national park

Thousands of drought-stricken people have migrated into one of Ethiopia’s most important national parks, threatening its ecosystem, the UN Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (EUE) has warned. It said the large numbers of people entering the Bale Mountains National Park - and more are arriving daily - could severely accelerate the deforestation of the area. The park, in southern Ethiopia, is one of the most precious in the country, being home to the Ethiopian wolf – one of the rarest animals in the world, with only 500 still in existence. The warning comes as the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said the severe drought hitting pockets of Ethiopia was spreading to other regions. It said it had received "alarming reports" of food shortages and failed rains in parts of the country. "An additional problem in Bale Zone is the migration of people from West and East Harerge and Arsi zones to the Bale National Park area, where there is a fear that their presence will intensify destruction of forest in the park, and increase risks to communicable disease. Numbers have risen to nearly 20,000, with more reported to be arriving daily," the EUE said. It also reported that crops had failed in Bale Zone, in the Oromiya Regional State. "Because of the prolonged dry season and absence of rain for more than seven years, there is a serious shortage of pasture and grazing area for livestock," the report said. Meanwhile, rains in the Afar Regional State – one of the areas hardest hit by drought - have had almost no impact. "In Afar, the impact of rain in the past two months on pasture regeneration and water replenishment was insignificant, and signs of abnormal movement from worst-off areas are indications that a serious situation will develop soon," the EUE added in its emergency report. A crop and food supply assessment, which is due to begin in early November, is expected to reveal the scale of the crop failure in the country.