This comes just two months after the UN humanitarian agency designated Zimbabwe as one of the countries at risk of severe food insecurity.
The storm destroyed more than half of the nation’s crops.This puts an estimated 7.6 million people at risk of severe hunger.
El Niño is a regular, naturally occurring weather phenomenon that affects temperatures around the ocean and coastal land. The climate crisis in recent years has made the pattern more frequent and intense.
Officials from the United Nations and the World Food Programme (WFP) recently visited Zimbabwe to assess the impact of the drought on the country and call for greater international support for the humanitarian response.
‘National disaster situation’
In April, local authorities in Zimbabwe announced that the country National state of disaster.
According to official figures, 57 percent of the country’s “rural” population is expected to be food insecure between January and March 2025, the most severe period of famine there has been.
Another UN report notes that civilians will have to rely on “alternative sources of income, social support and humanitarian assistance” to survive the season.
also “The need for humanitarian assistance is expected to remain high across many parts of the country through the 2025 harvest season. “Because income-generating opportunities are limited and food prices are high, purchasing power is limited.”
The effects of El Niño
Zimbabwe’s economy is reportedly suffering from a drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon, which has left more than one in five children out of school and led to water shortages across the country.
The United Nations and some partners are working with the Zimbabwean government to provide assistance to civilians.
But these teams need more money: The $429 million flash fundraising that started in May and has supported more than 3 million people is just 11% of what it was.
El Niño drought has also affected other southern African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Malawi. These countries are in dire need of humanitarian intervention as the drought has significantly increased food insecurity levels.
