Ethiopian need 'under-estimated'

Ethiopian need 'under-estimated'

BBC - October 12, 2008

Aid agencies are warning that Ethiopian authorities are under-estimating the scale of the country's drought. Official estimates of the number of people facing hunger and hardship stand at 4.6m but agencies warn the real figure could be more than 8m.

There is also confusion over the amount of money needed to meet the crisis, with the Oxfam agency estimating it at about $500m. However, the United Nations reports that $772m has already been pledged. Ethiopia is in the grip of severe food shortages after rains failed across a large swathe of the east and south of the country.

But attempts to deal with the crisis have been hindered by disputes over the number of people affected. In April the first government appeal spoke of more than 2m in need of food aid. By June that figure had risen to well over 4m. Aid agencies now say the official estimate has reached 6.4m - but has not yet been released. But, say the agencies, even this underestimates the scale of the problem. Read More.