'World's worst food security crisis' hits East Africa

A US agency has warned the eastern Horn of Africa of continuing food security crisis, a local media report said.They say, it is the 'World's worst food security crisis'.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet) pointed out Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, as areas of particular concern.

It said large-scale emergency assistance was urgently needed to save lives and treat acute malnutrition in the region.

It also stressed that the current humanitarian response was inadequate.

In a statement, Fewsnet said the eastern Horn of Africa has experienced two consecutive seasons of significantly below-average rainfall, resulting in one of the driest years since 1995, according to the report. The low rainfall has resulted in failed crops and high prices for local cereals.

This is the most severe food security emergency in the world today, the statement said.

In southern Ethiopia and some pastoral areas of Somalia, the agency said, poor households are unable to access the basic food supplies needed for survival.

According to Fewsnet, recent nutrition surveys have suggested that global acute malnutrition remained above 20% in the region, and more than seven million people needed humanitarian assistance.