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EAST AFRICA: Food security continues to deteriorate following crop failures, high prices, trade disruptions, conflict, and limited food, water, and pasture availability. Needs continue to rise, while food aid pipelines face shortages through the end of the year. High and extreme levels of food insecurity are reported in Ethio pia's Somali, Oromia, SNNP, Amhara, Tigray, and Afar regions; in Kenya's Turkana, Mandera, and Marsabit districts, and southeast ern marginal farming areas; in central and southern Somalia; and in Djibouti's urban areas and pastoral livelihood zones.

MAURITANIA: Consistent, well- distributed rainfall has allowed for a strong start to the 2008 cropping season and improved food security for agriculturalists and pastoralists. However, prices re main high for imported food, which accounts for more than half of domestic consumption, limiting the positive impact of these rains.

NIGER: Most of the country remains moderately food insecure, with areas of high food insecurity in the north, due to continued conflict with Tuareg rebels, and in Ouallam and Loga departments, as a result of structural food deficits. Markets remain adequately provisioned, and although prices are higher than in 2007, they are comparable to the five- year average in some key markets. Recent rainfall has helped to mitigate earlier dryness, and crops are pro gressing well. Rainfall must continue through early October to ensure a good harvest.

SOUTH SUDAN: Parts of the Eastern and Western Flood Plains livelihood zones remain highly food insecure due to conflict, flood ing, and seasonal food shortages. These areas will likely remain food insecure until October. Improved rains in August are having mixed effects, causing floods in parts of Aweil, East Twic, and Nasir but mitigating persistent dryness in Upper Nile and Jonglei states and improving pasture conditions in Kapoeta.

ZIMBABWE: Poor harvests, political instability, and continued eco nomic decline are driving deteriorating food security conditions. At least two million Zimbabweans are now food insecure, and this figure is expected to rise to over five million by early 2009. Cur rent stocks will meet only half of the country's 2008/09 consump tion requirements, leaving a 900,000 MT shortfall to be met by commercial and humanitarian assistance. However, the country may not have the foreign exchange needed to finance grain im ports or the capacity to distribute them on time. Ongoing restric tions on NGOs have delayed assistance planning.