70 million hit by devastating drought and food shortages in southern Africa
NBCAug 17
Report: 68M People Suffering From Southern Africa Drought
Above: Dry fields in Lusaka, Zambia, due to drought. April 11, 2024. Image copyright: Wikimedia Commons
The Facts
On Saturday, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reported that the El Nino-induced drought has destroyed crops — affecting 68M people in southern Africa, or 17% of the population, and prompting a need for humanitarian support.
Malnutrition has impacted Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia the most severely since the drought began in early 2024.
The Spin
Narrative A
El Nino, a climate phenomenon, is causing a severe drought in southern Africa, resulting in water shortages, food insecurity for millions of people, and wildlife deaths in Botswana and Zimbabwe. People are starving and urgently in need of humanitarian aid, yet foreign donors have not met the target established to tackle this catastrophe. The region is in dire need of international assistance, and donors need to step up their efforts immediately.
Narrative B
Climate change is known to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. It's established that droughts in southern Africa are caused by a lack of preparedness, inadequate response, mitigation, and risk reduction. With little to no planning for drought disasters like the failure of the main maize crop, the only choice once the crisis hits is to rely on relief efforts. Going forward better coordination and collaboration between governments across the region is needed.