UN agency says several countries in southern African threatened by food crisis

Prolonged dry spells, floods and the disruption of farming activities in several southern African countries could cause serious food shortages for more than 4 million people in the region, according to a report released today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The report, "Food Supply Situation and Crop Prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa," finds the worst conditions in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, but warns that difficulties persist also in Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland, while the long-running civil conflict in Angola threatens food security there.

Eastern Africa's overall food supply situation has improved considerably since last year, but according to the report, "acute food shortages persist in most pastoral areas of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia due to continued drought conditions." In Eritrea, despite an improved harvest, large numbers of internally displaced people and refugees returning from Sudan depend on food assistance.

Following two successive good harvests in Rwanda and Burundi, the food situation is significantly better, but sporadic violence in some provinces of Burundi continues to displace rural populations and disrupt food production, according to the report.

On the positive side, the report projects a "generally favourable" food outlook this year for western Africa following above-average to record harvests in the Sahelian countries and satisfactory crops elsewhere. At the same time, it warns that below-average harvests pose threats in Mauritania. In Liberia and Sierra Leone, civil strife is hampering food security and the report predicts that those countries "will continue to rely on international food assistance for some time to come."