Zimbabwe declares drought disaster as El Nino leaves millions hungry
- A severe dry spell induced by the El Nino weather pattern is wreaking havoc across southern Africa
- Zimbabwe’s president says country needs US$2 billion in aid to help millions who are going hungry
Zimbabwe declared a state of disaster over a devastating drought that’s sweeping across much of southern Africa, with the country’s president saying it needs US$2 billion for humanitarian assistance.
Wednesday’s declaration was widely expected following similar actions by neighbouring Zambia and Malawi, where drought linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon has scorched crops, leaving millions of people in need of food assistance.
“Due to the El Nino-induced drought … more than 80 per cent of our country received below normal rainfall,” President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in a speech calling for international aid. The country’s top priority, he said, is “securing food for all Zimbabweans. No Zimbabwean must succumb to, or die from hunger”.
He appealed to United Nations agencies, local businesses and faith organisations to contribute towards humanitarian assistance.
El Nino, a naturally occurring climatic phenomenon that warms parts of the Pacific Ocean every two to seven years, has varied effects on the world’s weather. In southern Africa, it typically causes below-average rainfall, but this year has seen the worst drought in decades.
