Millions across Southern Africa are facing severe hunger due to an unprecedented drought, prompting fears of a humanitarian catastrophe, the United Nations has warned.
Several countries, including Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, have declared states of national disaster in recent months as the drought ravages crops and livestock. Angola and Mozambique are also heavily affected, according to the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), which cautioned that the situation is likely to worsen until the next harvests, expected in March or April.
“A historic drought – the worst food crisis yet – has devastated more than 27 million lives across the region,” said WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri. “Some 21 million children are malnourished.”
“October in Southern Africa marks the start of the lean season, and each month is expected to be worse than the previous one until harvests next year in March and April. Crops have failed, livestock have perished, and children are lucky to receive one meal per day.”
The drought is particularly devastating for tens of millions of people who rely on small-scale, rain-fed agriculture for both food and income.
In July, a UN official described it as the worst drought to hit the region in a century. According to WFP’s acting regional director for southern Africa, Lola Castro, the drought has wiped out 70% of the harvest in Zambia and 80% in Zimbabwe.
In addition to the agricultural collapse, the drought has drastically reduced hydropower capacity, leading to widespread electricity shortages. Both Zimbabwe and Namibia have resorted to culling wildlife, including elephants, to provide meat for starving populations and reduce pressure on dwindling resources.
Experts point out that sub-Saharan Africa is especially vulnerable to climate change due to its heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture and natural resources. Many African livelihoods are climate-dependent, and poorer countries lack the resources to implement climate-resilience measures.
Scientists have also highlighted how climate change-induced droughts and unpredictable rainfall patterns are harming crop yields, development, taste, and harvest periods across the region.
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