The International Committee of the Red Cross is asking for $479.4 million from donors, agencies and governments around the world to fund field work this year, the Reuters news service reports.

The Geneva-based humanitarian agency expects to spend nearly half of its field work budget on relief efforts in Africa caused by that continent's large number of civil wars, Reuters reports.

The 1999 budget is slightly lower than last year's $490.2 million level.

About 20 percent of the $479.4 million budget is designated for Europe and North America. Another 17 percent has been budgeted for Asia and Pacific-region efforts, eight percent for Latin America and seven percent for the Middle East and North Africa, Reuters reports.