Warder, Ethiopia — The Somali people of Ethiopia’s south-east have a name for the drought that has killed livestock, dried up wells and forced hundreds of thousands into camps: sima, which means "equalised". It’s an appropriate name, they say, because this drought has left no person untouched, spared no corner of their arid region. And it has forced 7.8-million people across the whole of Ethiopia to rely on emergency food handouts to stay alive. But by next month, that food will have run out, aid agencies say. Droughts are common in Ethiopia, and in past years the government and international community have mounted impressive efforts to curb starvation. This year though, Africa’s second most-populous country is struggling to find the money for food aid, say aid agencies. "We’re looking at the food pipeline actually breaking, so the food will run out in about a month’s time," says John Graham, country director for Save the Children. "After that, we don’t know what’s going to happen."...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.