UN reports the worst drought in 100 years in southern Africa

Lola Castro, acting regional director of the organization’s World Food Programme, said the disaster had destroyed much of the region’s crops

The worst drought in the last 100 years hit southern Africa, leaving 27 million people in the region on the brink of hunger. Lola Castro, Acting Regional Director for Southern Africa at the UN World Food Program (WFP), said.

“Southern Africa is experiencing a record drought in the last 100 years, which has destroyed a significant portion of the region’s crops, primarily cereals,” local radio station EWN quoted her as saying. – In many areas, farmers have harvested nothing and the next harvest won’t be until April 2025. Now comes the worst period, with famine threatening 27 million people.”

Five nations in the southern part of the continent, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe have declared a national disaster regime due to drought in 2024. The situation is difficult in the agricultural sector in Angola and Mozambique.

The drought, according to Castro, has destroyed 70% of the harvest in Zambia and 80% in Zimbabwe. “This has already caused food prices to rise in the region,” she said. – The situation is extremely worrying.” WFP experts believe that 6 million people in countries in southern Africa need emergency food aid. It requires $409 million, of which half has been raised so far, Castro said.

Tags: Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi, drought, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Zambia