Six children under five years old are dying each day due to severe malnutrition in some of the areas worst-hit by the drought in Ethiopia, aid officials say.

This is the situation in Gode town, according to the Ogaden Welfare Society, a local aid agency.

Gode lies in one of the most severely affected areas - the Ogaden region in the south-east of the country.

Of the eight million people in Ethiopia who need food assistance, 1.3 million are from this area.

Desert-like town

The lack of rain for four consecutive seasons has left the town dry, arid and semi desert-like. The inhabitants largely depend on breeding livestock for their survival, but 95% of the livestock has already died.

The town and its surrounding area is littered with the carcasses of cattle, goat and sheep. Even the camels, considered to be the most resilient of animals, have stopped lactating and will die soon, and this is a sure sign that people will be next.

The Ogaden Welfare Society, together with the UN World Food Programme and US Agency for International Development, have established feeding centres and are trying to get more aid into the area.

But many logistical problems exist. Some areas are largely inaccessible as road infrastructure is poor.

There are also reports of rebel movements and banditry, which many believe is the reason why the international community has been slow to respond.

But the government says these reports are exaggerated, and says getting more aid into the area should not be delayed any further.