UN World Food Programme director Catherine Bertini on Wednesday began an eight-day tour of the Horn of Africa to assess emergency food needs for the drought-stricken region. Bertini, named by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan as a special envoy to the region, is set to arrive on Wednesday in Gode in southeastern Ethiopia, the area most affected by the crisis. According to the WFP, more than 940000 tons of food aid will be needed to feed the estimated 12,4-million people in the Horn of Africa who face starvation, 70% of whom are women and children.