“More people being affected in more areas”

“What we’re seeing is a deterioration in food security across the board,” WFP Country Director Judith Lewis told IRIN on Wednesday. “It’s not just pockets in the areas chronically-affected by drought. More people are being affected in more places all over the country. Malnutrition is high and child mortality is increasing.” Drought, lower yields from short-cycle substitute crops, crop losses due to localised flooding, weed and pest infestations have all combined to create a food relief requirement which is “unusually high for this time of year”, UN sources said. In addition to North and South Welo, Tigray and Harar, which are subject to chronic drought, there are “hotspots” of vulnerability in North and South Gonder, the Somali region and the south (including Konso and Berena), Lewis added.