Nearly 68 million people reeling from drought in Southern Africa: Official
Nearly 68 million people reeling from drought in Southern Africa: Official
The Facts
On Saturday, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reported that the El Nino-induced drought has destroyed crops, affecting 68M people in southern Africa, or 17% of the population, and needs humanitarian support.
Malnutrition has hit Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia the hardest since the drought began in early 2024, declaring the hunger crisis a state of disaster.
The Spin
The occurrence of El Nino, a climate phenomenon, is causing a severe drought in southern Africa, resulting in water shortages, food insecurity for millions of people, and wildlife deaths in Botswana and Zimbabwe. People are starving and urgently in need of humanitarian aid, whereas foreign donors have not met the target established to tackle this catastrophe. The region is in dire need of international assistance, and donors need to step up their efforts immediately.
Climate change is known to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. It is commonly established that droughts in southern Africa are caused by a lack of preparedness, inadequate response, mitigation, and risk reduction. With little to no planning for drought disasters like the failure of the main maize crop, the only choice once the crisis hits is to rely on relief efforts. Therefore, better coordination and collaboration between governments is needed.
