UN agencies, partners appeal for $230m to help people in Ethiopia

The United Nations agencies and their partners are seeking 230 million U.S. dollars for emergency food and non-food support by the end of 2015 to help 4.5 million people in Ethiopia, a UN spokesman told reporters here Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said an additional 1.6 million people in Ethiopia are in need of emergency food and nutrition assistance, the spokesman said.

Launching the mid-year review plan of the Ethiopian humanitarian operation, OCHA said there has been an increase in the number of people needing emergency food and nutrition relief by 55 percent, from 2.9 to 4.5 million.

The government of Ethiopia has allocated 33 million dollars for urgent response in areas with the worst humanitarian needs.