- WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the severe drought threatening more than 12 million Africans with starvation shows the need to invest in global agriculture and nutrition.
Speaking to the International Food Policy Research Institute, Clinton said the US is providing another $17 million in food aid to the Horn of Africa. That brings total US assistance to the region to more than $580 million.
The UN says the crisis has not peaked. The drought has been exacerbated by the Islamic militant group Al-Shabab, which refuses to allow many aid groups into areas of Somalia it controls. Thousands of children have died.
Clinton said the famine must prompt long-term thinking to help avert future food crises. She spoke of boosting agriculture, nourishment levels and food distribution networks.