MICHAEL HOLMES, WORLD NEWS: Ethiopia is in the midst of a prolonged drought. Three months of forecast rains have yet to arrive. CNN's Kieran (ph) Baker has more.</s>KIERAN BAKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Agony revisited on the faces of these Ethiopian children crying out for food. A familiar crisis for a region that has faced famine before. This time, up to 16 million people may be affected. The United Nations estimates that eight million people are threatened with starvation in Ethiopia. And a similar number face famine in the neighboring Horn of Africa states hit by drought, crop failure and war. In 1984, over a million people died from starvation in Ethiopia. Pictures such as these prompting a dramatic worldwide response. In 1989, another famine and more international aid. But the on-off war between Ethiopia and Eritrea has left the region unstable and, according to some European Union officials, continues to threaten essential aid being delivered to the worst-affected areas. At feeding centers like this in southeastern Ethiopia, the normally nomadic population come together in search of food and water, battling against drought and disease. Aid organizations are preparing for the worst.</s>CAROLINE HURFORD, RED CROSS SPOKESWOMAN: The situation isn't yet critical. But four consecutive harvests have failed. That means that the Red Cross must really step in to help 80,000 of the most vulnerable.</s>BAKER: Relief efforts are under way with the European Union, the United Nations and United States all sending food. But Ethiopia has accused the international community of not heeding the warnings of famine - something the European Union flatly denies.</s>KARL HARBO, EUROPEAN UNION DELEGATION: I'm a little disappointed that even anyone could doubt our commitment also to the current situation, and I always insisted that we will do our traditional contribution to the solution of the problem.</s>BAKER: Solutions needed now more than ever to prevent images such as these being once again visited on this corner of Africa. Kieran Baker, CNN reporting.
Prolonged Drought Brings Threat Of Famine In Ethiopia