12:47pm UK, Tuesday May 20, 2008

A drought in Ethiopia has triggered a food crisis and left 126,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition, according to the UN.

Children are starving

The government and aid agencies are struggling to find money to help because food prices are soaring around the world.

UNICEF says six million Ethiopian children under the age of five may be at risk of malnutrition.

And the UN World Food Programme estimates 3.4 million of Ethiopia's more than 80 million people will need food relief from July to September.

Tim Marshall, Sky News foreign affairs editor, said: "The effects of the drought in Ethiopia seem to be really hitting hard now.

"A month ago, the UN said 2.2 million people needed food aid. Now, it's up to 3.2 million.

"An even bigger problem may happen mid-summer, when up to five million children could be at risk of serious malnutrition.

"If that happens, then the death rate will climb steeply."

UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and relief effort co-ordinator John Holmes said he was "deeply concerned" about food security and child malnutrition.

Millions of people are also facing severe food shortages in neighbouring Somalia, which already imports more than half its grain.

Soaring commodity prices and a weakening currency have made staples 375% more expensive than a year ago, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation said.

The crisis will get much worse if April-June rains fail or are well below average, the FAO added.

Somalia adviser Cindy Holleman said: "If the Gu (mid-April to June) rains are significantly below normal, the shilling continues to lose value, food prices increase further and civil insecurity worsens, we could see as many as 3.5 million people... facing acute food and livelihood crisis or humanitarian emergency conditions by the end of the year."