Months of drought in southern Africa have left over 27 million people in crisis, creating the region’s worst hunger situation in decades, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The agency warned that the situation could escalate into a “full-scale human catastrophe.”
Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have declared national disasters due to the drought, which was triggered by the El Niño weather pattern, leading to widespread hunger. The WFP estimates that around 21 million children in the region are now malnourished as crops have failed.
“This is the worst food crisis in decades,” said WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri. He noted that the lean season in southern Africa began in October, and the situation is expected to worsen each month until harvests arrive in March and April of next year.
Crops have been destroyed, livestock have died, and many children are fortunate to get just one meal per day, Phiri added. The WFP requires approximately $369 million to provide immediate relief, but it has only received 20% of that amount, as global humanitarian demands continue to rise.