UNITED NATIONS, June 5 (Xinhua) — The United Nations and its partners warned on Wednesday that millions of people in Southern Africa could be pushed into acute hunger during the next lean season, from October to February.
“The region faces a severe rainfall deficit due to the El Nino phenomenon, which led to the driest month of February in 100 years, with only 20 percent of the usual rainfall expected for this period received,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
The OCHA said that even before the drought, levels of food insecurity and humanitarian needs were high in the region, driven by socio-economic challenges, high food prices, and the compounding impacts of the climate crisis.
The office said the window of opportunity to avert a large-scale humanitarian crisis is rapidly closing as communities face imminent harvest failures.
“It is urgent to provide humanitarian assistance and support communities to recover and build resilience for the future,” the OCHA said.
Non-governmental organizations, regional and national authorities, and humanitarian and development partners made the joint call following a recent summit by the Southern African Development Community that saw the launch of a regional appeal last month seeking 5.5 billion U.S. dollars’ assistance to help with recovery and long-term climate resilience.
