NAIROBI: The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) requested 14.77 billion shillings (almost USD 130 million) on Friday to offer time-critical assistance to highly vulnerable communities in drought-stricken areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

The FAO has warned that a multi-season drought is causing acute food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, with 12 to 14 million people now at risk as crops wilt and animals deteriorate, according to reports.

FAO's Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol, Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa David Phiri, and Director of Emergencies and Resilience Rein Paulsen just returned from a trip to Kenya to raise awareness about the drought and see FAO's critical response in action, including in the northern counties of Isiolo and Marsabit.

Drought cycles are increasing and occurring with increased regularity, according to Bechdol, who believes that immediate humanitarian assistance to farmers and herders is required. "The international community has a limited window to prevent a catastrophic humanitarian catastrophe here," she said after touring Kenyan settlements where goats and cows are dying due to a lack of water and grass.

According to a new report released on Thursday by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) for Somalia, the number of people in Somalia who are acutely food insecure is expected to rise from 3.5 million to 4.1 million between January and March if humanitarian aid is not delivered on time.

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