Southern Africa is teetering on the edge of a widespread humanitarian disaster as a historic drought devastates millions of lives across the region. With crops failing and livestock dying, hunger is spreading rapidly, affecting communities in multiple countries, according to the United Nations (UN).
The drought has prompted emergency declarations in five countries — Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe — and is expected to worsen in the coming months. As millions struggle with food shortages, Angola and Mozambique are also battling severe drought conditions.
The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that the situation will likely intensify until the next harvest cycle, which isn’t expected until March or April. “More than 27 million people are facing hunger, and the toll is particularly harsh on children, with over 21 million suffering from malnutrition,” said WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri.
WFP is working tirelessly to deliver food and provide relief, but the organization has only received a fraction of the $369 million needed to address the crisis. Without urgent action, Phiri stressed, the drought could spiral into a large-scale humanitarian emergency.
This extreme drought is linked to the cyclical El Niño weather pattern, which has triggered widespread dryness in southern Africa while causing flooding in other parts of the world. According to the UN, this drought is potentially the worst to hit the region in a century, causing devastating losses to agriculture. Zambia and Zimbabwe have reported catastrophic crop losses of up to 70% and 80%, respectively, leaving vast swaths of land barren and livelihoods destroyed.
Power shortages are also compounding the crisis, as diminished rainfall has led to a sharp decline in hydropower generation, resulting in electricity cuts across the region. In addition, wildlife populations are being culled in Namibia and Zimbabwe to ease pressure on dwindling resources.
As the region faces this unprecedented crisis, the international community is being called upon to step up efforts to provide aid and avert further suffering.
