Humanitarian Crisis Worsening in Horn of Africa

U.N. Humanitarian Chief John Holmes says that the long-standing crisis in the Horn of Africa has been made worse by the global food crisis.

"The point is that large areas of the Horn of Africa, including parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Uganda, and Kenya, are now in or sliding towards a humanitarian emergency," said John Holmes. "And we believe there are something like 14 million people now in urgent need of food aid and other humanitarian assistance in the coming months."

Holmes says drought and rising food and fuel prices have heightened the crisis along with on-going conflicts in many nations, particularly in Somalia.