The United Kingdom is urging donors to “act fast and act now” to halt the slide toward famine in Ethiopia, as it announced £100 million ($125 million) of aid to tackle malnutrition and bolster health services.
On a visit to a clinic in the war-torn northern Tigray region of the country, the U.K. minister for both Africa and development Andrew Mitchell warned “food shortages are at a critical level” — describing the situation as “a wake-up call to the world.”
“We have the power to stop it. But if we don't take the necessary action now, then there is every danger that a famine will engulf this war-torn country which has suffered so much already," Mitchell told the BBC.