NAIROBI, July 4 -- The Greater Horn of Africa region needs some 9.8 billion U.S. dollars for humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an analysis Thursday.

The OCHA identified Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia as countries with the biggest funding needs, with the four nations requiring 3.24 billion dollars, 2.7 billion dollars, 1.79 billion dollars and 1.6 billion dollars respectively.

The other countries are Kenya that needs 451.8 million dollars and Burundi that requires 56 million dollars.

Sudan has the largest number of people in need of humanitarian assistance at 24.8 million, followed by Ethiopia at 21.4 million, South Sudan at 9 million, Somalia at 6.9 million, Kenya at 6.4 million and Burundi at 600,000, according to the OCHA.

Some 66.7 million people in the region are food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Heavy flooding, exacerbated by lingering effects of previous droughts, are among the main causes of food insecurity, according to the two institutions.

There is also conflict, inflation, disease outbreaks and poor access to nutritious diets and safe water. "Inflation exacerbates the situation by increasing food prices, making it harder for vulnerable populations to afford basic necessities," FAO and IGAD said Wednesday.

  - Xinhua