Most of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNP), northern Afar, parts of Amhara, eastern Oromiya and Gambella regions are highly food insecure, while the Somali Region and the southern Oromiya lowlands are extremely food insecure.

In the lowlands of SNNP and Oromiya, seasonal rainfall has been poor, leading to delays in planting and wilting of crops, the report says. Similar conditions are being reported in parts of Tigray and Amhara and in most districts of Afar and Gambella regions.

The rainy season has begun in pastoral areas of Somali, Afar and the Oromiya lowlands, bringing relief to these drought-affected areas that have been suffering from acute water shortages. In Oromiya, the rains started on time, improving the situation both for humans and livestock.

Meanwhile, according to official reports from the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute, the incidence of new cases of acute watery diarrhoea continues to decline, with 393 new cases and one death reported in Addis Ababa, Afar, Amhara, Oromiya and SNNP between 28 September and 4 October.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the movement of migrant labourers to private farms are risk factors that threaten to perpetuate the spread of the disease.

News Tracker: past stories on this issue

Urgent resources needed to feed Ethiopians stricken by drought, warns UN