Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says his country faces a famine worse than that of 1984 which killed nearly one million people and sparked a huge international relief effort.

AlertNet member the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has appealed for for 16 million Swiss francs ($11 million) as the drought-hit country's food crisis worsened.

Meles told the british broadcasting Corporation that six million people needed food aid and the number facing starvation could rise to 15 million early next year if international donors did not step forward.

"If (the 1984 famine) was a nightmare, then this will be too ghastly to contemplate," he was quoted as saying.

Ethiopia's drought is blamed on exceptionally dry weather resulting from the failure of the short Belg rainy season which runs from February to May, and the late start and early finish of the main Meher rains which typically last from June to September.

The IFRC estimated that between 10 and 14 million Ethiopians will be in need of food aid next year.

This fresh plea will extend the scope and geographic reach of a preliminary appeal launched last month.