Egeland
said the drought is killing children in "very high numbers."
"Malnourished
children die now in very high numbers, it's certainly in the
thousands, probably in tens of thousands across the Horn of
Africa," he added, responding to a question about how many lives
had been lost due to the drought.
"People
are not dying yet in large numbers because of hunger itself, they're
dying however because of associated disease and malnutrition," he
noted.
Egeland
said the number in urgent need could rise to 15 million, adding that
if a similar number in other regions faced hunger the world would be
scandalized.
"It
would be evident if, say, all of Scandinavia faced collective
starvation, the world would really respond. If all of northern Iraq
was facing massive starvation, I think the world would really respond.
If Kosovo and Bosnia again faced starvation, I think the world would
massively respond," he said.
In
addition to the human toll, hundreds of thousands of livestock and
wildlife have perished from the drought further damaging prospects for
many.
"Deceptive
Rains"
Egeland
also sounded a warning on the rains, saying "deceptive" good
rains in the region Nairobi, should not lead to complacency.
"It
is far too little in the vulnerable areas to be any promise of
anything yet. In some areas, it's been far too much too suddenly, a
flood, then the water disappears," he said.
British-based
charity Oxfam said in a statement on Friday that the rains in some
parts of east Africa were a mixed blessing, helping crops and grazing,
but also blocking aid routes and harming weak animals further.
"Initially
the rain will exacerbate an already fragile situation," Andrew
Featherstone, Oxfam regional manager, said.
Oxfam
said the few surviving animals were frail and unable even to shake
rainwater from their coats.
"Large
proportions of the exhausted and malnourished livestock could die due
to the rains and change of temperature," it said.
