Drought, civil strife spark food emergency in sub-Saharan Africa – UN agency

At least 25 million people in 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa need emergency food aid because of civil strife, drought, internal displacement and economic disruption, according to a new report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today.

The countries affected are Angola, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

In a regional breakdown, the report – “Food Supply Situation and Crop Prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa,” compiled by the Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) – notes that in East Africa floods and droughts damaged crops, increasing the likelihood of serious localised food shortages. In Ethiopia, 12.5 million people are estimated to need food aid, 1.9 million in southern Sudan and 1.4 million in Eritrea.

Meanwhile southern Africa, despite better harvests, still requires a significant amount of food aid in the coming months, according to the report. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a major compounding factor. In Zimbabwe, where the impact of a severe drought was compounded by social, economic and political problems, 5.5 million people – half the population – need emergency food aid. In Mozambique, the overall cereal harvest was good but some 950,000 people will require food assistance due to near-total failure of the maize crop. In Angola, food aid will continue to be required for 1.4 million people in 2003-2004.

In West Africa, food production continues to be disrupted by civil strife. In the Liberian capital of Monrovia, 200,000 refugees are dependent on food aid. Although overall security is improving in Côte d'Ivoire, the food situation remains critical with fighting in neighbouring Liberia creating a new refugee influx. Over 1 million people have been displaced. In drought-hit Mauritania, 420,000 people need assistance.

In Central Africa, civil strife also continues to undermine food security. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where inter-ethnic violence has killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands, some 483,000 people will receive emergency food assistance from the UN World Food Programme. In the Central African Republic, the food security situation is precarious and in Burundi and Rwanda, rains in late April and May improved crop conditions but there were also localized crop losses due to unfavourable weather.