Drought in northern Ethiopia affects 1.8 mln people

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Drought conditions in Ethiopia's northern region of Amhara have affected more than 1.8 million people, an Ethiopian official said Friday.

Tesfaw Batabl, commissioner at the Amhara Region Disaster Prevention and Food Security Commission, said that the drought has impacted 1,846,985 people across nine zones in the region, and has caused widespread damage, leading to the starvation of both animals and humans.

"To mitigate the damage caused by the drought, the Amhara region administration has allocated around 7.7 million U.S. dollars to aid those affected," Batebel was quoted by Ethiopian Press Agency as saying.

Last Saturday, Minister of Government Communication Service Legesse Tulu said that drought conditions in several regions of Ethiopia have affected a total of 3.8 million people.

According to a report from the United Nations Children's Fund, the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia has further deteriorated due to climate-related shocks.