Warning of widespread starvation unless donors respond

The UN's World Food Programme has warned that unless the desperate food crisis is addressed in Eritrea, the country will face the "irreversible spectre" of malnutrition and starvation. Deputy Country Director Mamadou Mbaye expressed gratitude for an Australian donation of US $806,000 but stressed that "time is running out". "We are very grateful for the donation, which gives us some valuable breathing space, but we are still desperately short of funds," he said in a statement. Eritrea is reeling from one of the worst droughts in its history, the effects of which have been exacerbated by the 1998-2000 war with Ethiopia. Two thirds of its 3.7 million population require humanitarian assistance. The UN's Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Carolyn McAskie, who recently visited the country, said the difficulty in getting pledges to the region meant that less than 19 percent of the food aid was actually on the ground. WFP says only about half its appeal for US $100 million for Eritrea has been met. Spokesman Robin Lodge told IRIN that the next few weeks would be critical as the seasonal "hunger gap" was approaching when people urgently require food assistance. "We are seriously underfunded and could be seeing a break in the food pipeline in the next couple of months," he warned. Lodge also noted that events such as the expulsion of the international demining group Halo Trust "affects the mood and attitude of donors". Last month, the Eritrean government asked Halo Trust to leave the country, saying it had set up a national demining authority which could do the job itself. "There is also a reticence among Eritreans who don't like to show their problems," Lodge added. Another issue, he stressed, was the fact that Eritrea's drought crisis was overshadowed by that of neighbouring Ethiopia. "Ethiopia has a much higher profile, better coverage, the world is more used to images of hungry people from that country," he said. And while the number of people needing food aid in Ethiopia was huge, proportionally the need in Eritrea was greater, he stressed. "Unless we can address this crisis, we will be facing an irreversible spectre of widespread malnutrition and starvation, which is becoming a reality with every day that passes," WFP's deputy Country Director Mamadou Mbaye warned.