A historic drought in southern Africa has devastated the lives of more than 27 million people across the region, World Food Programme spokesperson for southern Africa Tomson Phiri said at a briefing on Tuesday.
Phiri underscored that for many communities, this is the worst food crisis in decades. According to the World Food Programme, October marks the start of the lean season and each month is expected to be worse than the previous one until next year's harvest in March.
Phiri added that some 21 million children are malnourished.
At the request of governments, WFP has started to provide food aid and critical support in transport, logistics, and food procurement. With global needs soaring, the organization said that it has received only one-fifth of the $369 million it needs to help millions of people in southern Africa.
Earlier, the UN reported that Namibia used up 84% of its food reserves last month during the worst drought to hit southern Africa in decades. Nearly half of Namibia's population is predicted to face high levels of food insecurity in the coming months.
In April 2024, the Zimbabwean government declared a national disaster due to a drought triggered by the El Niño climate phenomenon. President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that the country required $2 billion in aid to provide food for millions of people facing hunger.