CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The drought afflicting southern Africa, influenced by the El Niño weather phenomenon, has severely impacted more than 27 million people, prompting the United Nations’ food agency to label it the most serious hunger crisis in several decades.
According to the World Food Program (WFP), the situation is on the verge of becoming a “full-scale human catastrophe.” Five countries—Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—have all declared national emergencies in response to the drought and subsequent hunger crisis. As crops have failed, the WFP estimates that an alarming 21 million children in southern Africa are now suffering from malnutrition.
The lives of tens of millions in the region depend on small-scale farming, which relies exclusively on rain for sustenance and income. The onset of El Niño has led to significantly below-average rainfall, combined with rising temperatures attributed to climate change, worsening the situation. “This crisis marks the worst period for food security in decades,” said WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri. He emphasized that October signifies the beginning of the lean season in southern Africa, forecasting that conditions will worsen each month until the harvest in March and April next year.
Phiri highlighted the dire consequences of the drought: failed crops, lost livestock, and children lucky enough to receive just one meal a day. The five nations that have declared disasters due to the drought are urgently seeking international assistance. Moreover, Angola and Mozambique are equally suffering from similar conditions, indicating the widespread nature of this crisis.
“The situation is critical,” Phiri stated, noting that the WFP requires approximately $369 million to deliver immediate assistance, yet has only managed to garner one-fifth of that amount due to a decline in donations. The agency has initiated food assistance and other essential support at the request of various governmental bodies in the region.
Phiri also pointed out that the crisis in southern Africa coincides with increasing global humanitarian demands, as urgent aid is also needed in Gaza, Sudan, and other locations. Other aid organizations have characterized this drought as particularly intense, with the United States aid agency, USAID, labeling the conditions as the worst drought in a century during the agricultural season from January to March, devastating crops and food supplies for millions.
El Niño, a naturally occurring climate pattern causing warming in specific areas of the central Pacific, produces varying weather effects worldwide. The latest El Niño emerged in mid-2022 and dissipated in June 2023, but was coupled with human-induced climate change, resulting in a turbulent year of heat waves and extreme weather events.
In areas affected by the drought, food prices have surged dramatically, further compounding the hardships faced by residents. The drought has led to severe consequences in Zambia, which has experienced significant energy losses and power outages due to its reliance on hydroelectric power from the Kariba Dam. Water levels in the dam are so low that little electricity can be generated, affecting both Zambia and Zimbabwe, which shares the dam and faces similar power disruptions.
In response to the food shortages, authorities in Namibia and Zimbabwe have resorted to culling wildlife, including elephants, to provide meat for starving populations. Scientists warn that sub-Saharan Africa is exceptionally vulnerable to climate change due to its reliance on rain-fed agriculture and natural resources, leaving millions at the mercy of climate fluctuations, while impoverished nations struggle to implement climate-resilience strategies.