Washington, Dec 23 (IANS) US President Barack Obama has announced an additional $113 million in emergency relief assistance for the Horn of Africa region hit by famine.

"As we enter the season of giving and renewal, more than 13 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance amid the worst drought the region has seen in 60 years," Xinhua quoted a statement from Obama as saying.

"The heartbreaking accounts of lives lost and of those struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and the need to reach out to people in need," he said.

Obama noted that the additional US funding will support urgently needed food, health, shelter, water and assistance needs, bringing total American aid to the African region to around $870 million dollars.

"Importantly, and even as we help to meet the emergency needs of the people of this region, we are also investing in their long-term food security," the president added.