A regional official in the south-east of Ethiopia says Somali refugees there are facing disaster because of the lack of food.

The relief coordinator for the Somali region of Ethiopia, Abubakar Abdi, said ten thousand people had crossed from southern Somalia in the past week, to escape drought and food shortages.

Mr Abdi urged the Ethiopian government to take urgent action to avoid disaster because the area the refugees had moved into was already suffering food shortages.