African Union postpones drought donors meeting

AFP - The African Union said Thursday it had postponed until August 25 a conference to raise funds for millions of people affected by drought gripping the Horn of Africa that had been due next week.

The pan-African body did not say why the meeting was pushed back from August 9 but noted that "urgent humanitarian assistance is crucial to alleviate the impact of the drought," according to a statement.

Some 12 million people are in danger of starvation in the wake of the region's worst drought in decades, which the United Nations said has caused famine in four southern Somalia regions and two refugee sites in Mogadishu.

But famine could engulf the whole of southern Somalia in the coming weeks, according to the United Nations.

The world body says $2.4 billion is required to address the crisis and the AU has donated $500,000.

The prolonged drought has also affected parts of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, with Somalia being the worst affected due to a relentless conflict and aid restriction by Islamist Shebab rebels in areas under their control.