Famine threatens seven million people in Zimbabwe
About seven million people in Zimbabwe are suffering from deteriorating food security due to prolonged drought resulting from the El Niño phenomenon, according to a report released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The office said in its report that more than half of Zimbabwe’s crops had been destroyed, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency last April. It added that the drought had put severe pressure on Zimbabwe’s economy.
The so-called “El Nino” phenomenon, known as a natural weather phenomenon that causes a significant rise in temperatures, has led to severe water shortages in Zimbabwe, leaving more than a fifth of the country’s children out of school.
At least 57 percent of Zimbabwe’s rural population, or about 5.9 million people, are food insecure during the worst hunger period between January and March next year, according to the latest statistics.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has revealed that only 11 percent of the $429 million humanitarian response plan for Zimbabwe for the current year has been funded. The United Nations also recently announced $13.5 million in aid to help 30 million people affected by drought in that part of Africa. Funds from the Central Emergency Response Fund are being used to provide food, cash, irrigation systems and drought-resistant seeds.
