Drought in the Borena Zone of Oromia Regional State threatens lives of over 800,000 people and over 2.3 million livestock have so far perished due to the natural catastrophe, sources said. Sources ind Read More icate that people in the zone are suffering from lack of water for failing to get rain for the past five rainy seasons. The situation that exposed millions of people to face the threat of starvation is said to require emergency response. Livestock are hit hardest in the area and over 800,000 people are in need of emergency relief aid like food, safe drinking water and medical care, according to sources. The alert further stated that the consequences of the multi-year drought will continue in 2023, leaving communities in urgent need of assistance. “Seasonal forecasts suggest a reasonable chance that the upcoming March–May rains will again underperform, which, should it occur, would be an unprecedented sixth poor season. …Communities will need years to recover from this historically severe drought.” Therefore, the statement warned governments that regardless of seasonal performance, humanitarian needs will remain high in 2023, and multi-sectoral assistance must be scaled up in order to save lives. Read Less