More than six million people in Ethiopia are expected to need emergency humanitarian aid in mid-March due to the drought that has hit the region, the UN children's fund Unicef warns after Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya sounded the alarm.
"Animals are dying at an increasing rate every month, and animal deaths mean a lack of food for children, for families," said Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF's representative for Ethiopia.
Rotigliano says water sources are drying up or have already dried up, pointing to the need to repair wells and drill new ones.
Worst drought in 40 years
Hafsa Bedel, who lives in the Somali region of Ethiopia, tells Unicef that she lacks enough food to support her family and six children.
- We are only a month into the long dry period, and I have already lost 25 goats and sheep, she says.
- I have also lost four camels.
There is no bait.
In neighboring Somalia, more than seven million people need emergency help, according to the Somalia NGO Consortium, which warns that the drought could be the worst in 40 years.
See pictures from Ethiopia and hear the voices of the locals in the clip.