The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has said that 68 million people in the region are suffering from the effects of an El Niño-induced drought.
The regional body made the announcement over the weekend, when it was holding a meeting in Harare.
Elias Magosi, SADC’s executive secretary, was quoted as saying that 17% of the regional bloc’s population were in need of aid because of the drought, which started in early 2024.
Magosi said: “The 2024 rainy season has been a challenging one with most parts of the region experiencing negative effects of the El Niño phenomenon characterised by the late onset of rains.”
Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have been particularly hard hit.
The drought was one of the major talking points of the summit, along with the deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
[Image: Albert_Jan_Kenzi from Pixabay]