Over 29mn people in east Africa facing food insecurity

"Across the IGAD region, 29 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity," the organization said in a tweet, citing the official.

According to him, up to 16 million people are in need of immediate food assistance, including up to 6.5 million in Ethiopia, 3.5 million in Kenya and 6 million in Somalia, TASS reported.

The current severe crisis is the result of both prolonged drought in the east of the continent and developments in Ukraine, which led to a sharp rise in food prices in the past weeks, according to Gebeyehu.

IGAD, created in 1986, brings together Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Djibouti and Eritrea. The organization is headquartered in Djibouti.

ZZ/PR