World / Africa Ethiopia: 4.5M Need Food Aid $400M, or 380 tons of food, needed in Eastern Africa By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Jul 11, 2011 9:22 AM CDT Copied Suldano Osman, 1, is steadied by her mother's hand as a pediatrician attaches a feeding tube to aid her treatment for malnutrition, at a Doctors Without Borders hospital, Kenya, Monday, July 11, 2011. (Rebecca Blackwell) See 12 more photos An estimated 4.5 million Ethiopians are in need of food assistance, says a government official—an increase of 40%. Nearly $400 million is needed to fill the country's food gap, adds Ethiopia's state minister of agriculture, who says Ethiopia needs to distribute 380 metric tons of food. A drought centered in the triangle where Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia meet has sent tens of thousands of people pouring into refugee camps in search of food. The director of the US government aid mission in Ethiopia says US officials are concerned that the severity of the drought is being underestimated. (More Africa stories.) See 12 more photos Report an error