Aid agencies raise record £72m for drought victims in Africa

British aid agencies have raised £72 million for drought victims in east Africa – the highest total ever for a food crisis.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched an appeal in July after Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and the Republic of South Sudan suffered one of the worst droughts in 60 years.

One hundred days since the appeal’s launch, the total raised is the third largest in the charity’s 45-year history. The only times more money has only been raised was for the tsunami earthquake appeal of December 2004 (£390m) and Haiti earthquake of January 2010 (£107m), the charity said.

DEC communications manager Brendan Paddy said the charity did not usually make comparisons, but added: “On this occasion, because the results for the East Africa appeal are so extraordinary, we have made an exception.”