ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Close to 1.66 billion U.S. dollars is needed to help 7.88 million Ethiopians affected by man-made and natural disasters for the rest of 2018, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said on Wednesday.
According to the latest figures from UNOCHA, the money is needed to assist 7.88 million people with food or cash and to implement life and livelihood-saving interventions in other non-food sectors.
UNOCHA said the Gedeo-West Guji conflict internally displaced persons (IDPs) alone need 117.7 million U.S. dollars for a period of six months to meet their food and non-food basic needs.
Conflict between ethnic Gedeos living in Southern regional state and ethnic Guji Oromos living in the neighboring West Gji zone, Oromia regional state has intensified since June, leaving more than one million people displaced, figures from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) earlier this month have revealed.
UNOCHA said another 500,000 people displaced by climatic shocks also need assistance in urgent food and non-food basic necessities.
Most of the rest of 7.88 million Ethiopians needing urgent food aid are those affected by drought conditions.
