Hunger and famine are beyond the comprehension of most of us. In countries like ours, it's a simple process; you're hungry so you eat. But what if there is no food in your home, or even in your community?

That's what people in eastern Africa are experiencing now. More than 16 million people are at risk of starvation in the horn of Africa. About 70 percent of those are women and children.

Most of us are affected by the horrible pictures we see from famines. In the mid-80s, the images from Ethiopia

Millions of people in the five countries of the Horn of Africa are suffering from hunger and malnutrition as a consequence of successive severe droughts. Pastoral areas in Ethiopia, northern Kenya and Somalia have been particularly affected by the loss of large numbers of livestock. The situation has been aggravated by armed conflicts and

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC - USAID Administrator J. Brady Anderson today announced new projects totaling $11.4 million aimed at reducing the suffering of the 16.3 million people in the Horn of Africa who are at-risk from the severe drought conditions in the region.

"This situation did not take us by surprise. We believe we are taking the steps necessary to avoid a recurrence of what happened in the 1984-86 famine. At this moment, we are optimistic

In the northern belg areas, the belg cereal harvest is expected to be the worst ever and probably a total failure.

The Gu rains are now falling but it is still too early to tell whether this will help the Gu harvest. In some parts of the south, heavy rain has led to flooding, hampering food aid deliveries.

The provision of food aid is also threatened by the lack of security and poor infrastructure. The recent looting of

1. The present report has been prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 46/182 of 19 December 1991, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report annually to it and to the Economic and Social Council on the coordination of humanitarian assistance, Council resolution 1995/56 of 28 July 1995, in which the Council requested the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report on humanitarian assistance, and subsequent resolutions.

2. The present report is also submitted