Paris - The UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, said yesterday that famine could still be avoided in the Horn of Africa, but admitted that the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea was deterring donors from sending aid.
"If those who have the capacity to help do so we might be able to avert a disaster," Mr Annan told reporters after meeting the UN special envoy, Ms Catherine Bertini. Ms Bertini said the UN would launch an appeal next month for assistance to some 16 million people threatened by three years of drought.