The number of people in southern Africa needing food aid and related assistance has risen by more than a million to 13.8 million since July, the UN said on Tuesday.
Food stocks have been largely depleted due to poor or failed harvests following a major drought, caused by the climatic phenomenon El Nino.
Needs are rising especially in Madagascar, Malawi and Zimbabwe. In southern Madagascar, an estimated 845,000 people are currently in the emergency or crisis category of food security, the UN’s office of humanitarian coordination (OCHA) for the region said.
Humanitarian agencies need additional funding worth 550 million dollars to provide for food aid, health care, agricultural and related programmes, according to the statement.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that UN Humanitarian agencies would require in excess of 22.2 billion dollars in 2017, according to a recent UN report. (dpa/NAN)
