UN: More than 10 million starving in Africa

More than 10 million people in six southern African countries are in urgent need of food and other help after another year of erratic rainfall, UN agencies and the Southern African Development Community said today.

Recent food and crop assessments by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Food Programme found serious shortages in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia.

Zimbabwe is also in need of large-scale assistance, according to a vulnerability assessment compiled by SADC together with the United Nations, aid groups and the government.

The effects of the erratic weather were compounded in some countries by the high price of fertiliser, seeds and other key inputs, and by the devastating effects of the AIDS pandemic.

Even with considerable commercial imports, serious food shortages will persist until the next harvest in May 2006, SADC and the two UN agencies said in a joint statement.

The biggest shortfall is in Malawi, where an estimated 4.2 million people - 34% of the population – will need assistance.

The reports indicate the six countries will together need to import about 2.8 million metric tonnes of food to meet the largest part of the shortfall.

In addition, the international community will need to provide about 730,000 metric tonnes of food to support the region’s most vulnerable, the statement said.

“Given the gravity of the findings, WFP, FAO and SADC today called on donor governments worldwide to respond quickly and generously with food aid donations in kind or cash to avoid widespread hunger from developing into a humanitarian disaster,” the statement said.

“The assessment teams were struck by the scarcity of maize at harvest time in some countries, prompting the need for an immediate response.”

WFP needs said it needs £152m (€221.8m) or 477,000 metric tonnes pledged immediately to meet the escalating need as stocks start running out ahead of the next harvest.

Government representatives from each country, together with UN and non-governmental organisations were discussing the findings at a two-day meeting in Johannesburg lasting until tomorrow. Participants will try to agree a strategy to address persistent food insecurity in the region.

Together SADC’s 13 member states produced a cereal surplus of 2.1 million metric tonnes, compared to 1.1 million metric tonnes last year. Most of the excess was produced by regional economic powerhouse South Africa, which harvested a surplus of about 5.5 million metric tonnes.