The number of children affected by drought in the Horn of Africa has risen by 40 percent in the last two months, the UN children's fund UNICEF warns.
The number of those affected by hunger, malnutrition and thirst rose from 7.25 million to at least 10 million between February and April, according to the organization.
According to the press release, more than 1.7 million children in the three East African countries of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia required medical care because of acute malnutrition.
The drought catastrophe in the four countries Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa is therefore the worst in 40 years.
Hundreds of thousands of people were driven from their homes by the drought that began three years ago.
Unicef warns that they are extremely dependent on humanitarian aid.
Consequences of the war in Ukraine
"If we don't act now, we will see a sharp rise in infant deaths in a few weeks," said Mohamed M. Fall, Unicef regional director for East and Southern Africa.
"Famine is at hand."
"We must act now to save the lives of children - but also to protect their childhood," Fall said.
“Children are losing their homes, their education and their right to grow up in safety.
They deserve the world's attention now.”
The Horn of Africa is severely affected by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and its consequences, such as reduced grain deliveries.