Special Drought Report
WFP Sees $200 Million Gap as Food Insecurity Rises in Zimbabwe
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HARARE — The United Nations World Food Program says it is struggling to raise more than $200 million to ease food insecurity in Zimbabwe. Economic collapse and recurring droughts in the country — once the breadbasket of southern Africa — have left 5.5 million people without enough to eat.
Maria Gunzi, a 66-year-old widow, farms her land, but worries she will not have enough food to last until the next harvest.
"Hunger and poverty are real here, I do not even have fertilizer for the land I am preparing," she said. "All my crops were burnt by the sun last season and there is no food aid coming. These wild fruits are not getting buyers, people are broke. I wish the government would chip in with assistance, especially for us, the old. Hunger is giving me a real headache."
Gunzi is among the 5.5 million people in Zimbabwe who are food insecure until at least next April, because of the collapsed economy and recurring droughts, according to the World Food Program.
"For us, we look at the severity of the (economic) situation, and coupled with the fact that the forecast for the 2019/2020 agricultural season is also not good, it is almost similar to last year's forecast," said Eddie Rowe, director of World Food Program in Zimbabwe. "We reckon that we will be in for a long run."
WFP says it sometimes imports food from Zambia to aid Zimbabwe, but the drought-damaged Zambia has imposed a ban on corn exports.
"We are running against time. We need these commodities by January," Rowe said. "For us to implement this program at scale, reaching 4.1 million, from January up to April, and then 1.5 million May and June, it would cost us a total of $293 million. We have only received 30 percent of that. Meaning that we have a funding gap of $211 million."
The WFP official maintains hope that international donors will assist Zimbabwe, though he knows the country is competing for funds with emergency situations in war-torn places such as Yemen, Sudan and Somalia.
But any aid would be a relief to Maria Gunzi, who says climate change has affected her, as she used to be able to fend for herself.
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UN Releases $100 Million for Humanitarian Emergencies in 10 Countries Around the World
![FILE - Flags fly outside the United Nations headquarters during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Jennifer Peltz, File)](https://gdb.voanews.com/01000000-c0a8-0242-01f3-08dcca03e4c9_cx0_cy10_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations released $100 million on Friday for humanitarian emergencies in 10 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean.
Acting U.N. humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya said a lack of funding in these countries is preventing aid agencies from providing life-saving assistance, “and that is heart-wrenching.”
More than one-third of the new funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund known as CERF will go to Yemen, where a civil war is now in its 10th year, and Ethiopia, where government forces are fighting several rebel groups in its regions as well as ethnic-related insurgencies. Yemen is getting $20 million and Ethiopia $15 million.
Humanitarian operations in countries engulfed in years of conflict and displacement, exacerbated by climate shocks will also be getting funds: Myanmar ($12 million), Mali ($11 million), Burkina Faso ($10 million), Haiti ($9 million), Cameroon ($7 million) and Mozambique ($7 million).
So will two countries suffering severe food insecurity from an El Niño-induced drought and flooding, Burundi ($5 million) and Malawi ($4 million).
This was CERF’s second release of $100 million in emergency funding for humanitarian emergencies this year. In February, that money went to Chad, Congo, Honduras, Lebanon, Niger, Sudan and Syria.
But the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA, which manages CERF, said the $200 million released this year is the lowest amount in the last three years, “underscoring the growing gap between humanitarian needs and the donor funding CERF receives to meet them.”
This year, the humanitarian community appealed for $49 billion to reach 187 million people in crises worldwide but has received just 29%, leaving a $35 billion gap, OCHA said.
In addition to releasing funds to the 10 countries on Friday, the U.N. and its partners have launched emergency appeals to reach 14.5 million people in southern Africa affected by El Niño: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi.
Nearly 68 Million Suffer from Drought in Southern Africa, SADC Says
![FILE - James Tshuma, a farmer in Mangwe district in southwestern Zimbabwe, stands in the middle of his dried-up crop field amid a drought, in Zimbabwe, March, 22, 2024.](https://gdb.voanews.com/01000000-0aff-0242-6279-08dcbf233227_cx16_cy19_cw83_w250_r1_s.jpg)
HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) — About 68 million people in Southern Africa are suffering the effects of an El Nino-induced drought that has wiped out crops across the region, the regional bloc SADC said Saturday.
The drought, which started in early 2024, has hit crop and livestock production, causing food shortages and damaging the wider economies.
Heads of state from the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) were meeting in Zimbabwe's capital Harare to discuss regional issues including food security.
Some 68 million people, or 17% of the region's population, need aid, said Elias Magosi, SADC executive secretary.
"The 2024 rainy season has been a challenging one with most parts of the region experiencing negative effects of the El Nino phenomenon characterized by the late onset of rains," he said.
It is Southern Africa's worst drought in years, owing to a combination of naturally occurring El Nino — when an abnormal warming of the waters in the eastern Pacific changes world weather patterns — and higher average temperatures produced by greenhouse gas emissions.
Countries including Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi have already declared the hunger crisis a state of disaster, while Lesotho and Namibia have called for humanitarian support.
The region launched an appeal in May for $5.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to support the drought response, but donations have not been forthcoming, said outgoing SADC chair Joao Lourenco, the president of Angola.
"The amount mobilized so far is unfortunately below the estimated amounts and I would like to reiterate this appeal to regional and international partners to redouble their efforts... to help our people who have been affected by El Nino," he told the summit.
The drought is a major talking point at this year's summit, alongside issues such as the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which Lourenco said was a source of great concern.
Argentina Beats Brazil 1-0 to Win Copa America, 1st Major Title in 28 Years
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Argentina won their first major title in 28 years on Saturday and Lionel Messi finally won his first medal in a blue-and-white shirt when an Angel Di Maria goal gave them a 1-0 win over Brazil and a record-equaling 15th Copa America.
Di Maria, starting for just the second time in the Copa, justified his selection by scoring the opener midway through the first half.
Renan Lodi failed to cut out a long ball forward from Rodrigo De Paul and Di Maria lobbed the stranded Ederson with aplomb.
Brazil piled on the pressure in an exciting second half but even with five strikers on the field they could not get an equalizer against an Argentine defense protected by the outstanding Rodrigo De Paul.
"First, we have to congratulate our opponents especially for the first half when they neutralized us,” Brazilian defender Thiago Silva said.
“In the second half, there was no contest -- only one team tried to play football, the other just wasted time as we knew they would. It’s not an excuse, we didn’t do what we had to, principally in the first half.”
Argentina’s win was a particular triumph for Barcelona striker Messi, who picked up his first-ever title in a blue-and-white shirt after more than a decade of club and individual honors.
The Argentine players surrounded their captain at the final whistle. Goalkeeper Emilian Martinez celebrated what he called a Maracanazo, a remarkable win at the famous Rio stadium.
"I'm speechless," he said. "I knew my dream would come true, and where better than the Maracanazo and giving the title to the best in the world and fulfilling his dream."
Messi finished the tournament’s joint top goal scorer with four goals and was elected joint best player along with Neymar.
But he was quiet throughout the game at the Maracana stadium and uncharacteristically missed a golden opportunity to wrap the game up with 2 minutes remaining.
When the final whistle went, Argentina TV declared “Argentina Champions, Lionel Messi Champion!”
The match itself was a disappointing one, with Argentina the better side in a cagey first half that featured 21 fouls.
However, Brazil came out more aggressively in the second period and as the time ticked on, they threw more people forward -- and at one point having five recognized strikers on the field.
Richarlison had a goal chalked off for offside 7 minutes into the second half and then forced Emiliano Martinez into a good stop 2 minutes later.
But as Brazil poured forward gaps opened up and Argentina missed two clear chances to score in the dying moments of the match.
The victory was Argentina’s 15th Copa America triumph and means they draw level with Uruguay as the all-time leading winners.
"This is a very big title," Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said. "I hope that Argentines can enjoy it. The fans love the team unconditionally and I think they identify with this side that never drops its guard."
Their win extended their sequence of undefeated matches to 20 under Scaloni and handed Brazil their first competitive defeat since they lost to Belgium in the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup.
Food Deliveries ...
The World Food Program has sourced food supplies for some people in Matabeleland region facing a devastating drought. Thousands of people are now having one meal a day in some parts of the country. The drought has decimated more than 34,000 livestock. (Video: Albert Ncube)
Harare Resident Surviving Amidst Zimbabwe Economic Crisis
A Harare resident says people should find some means of making a living amid a serious economic crisis in the country, once regarded as southern Africa's breadbasket. (Video: Mlondolozi Ndlovu)
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