The negative impacts of the El Nino induced drought, the worst in 35 years, which has caused a humanitarian crisis affecting 39 million people or 13% of SADC population, continues to intensify. Several factors including depleted food reserves, rising food prices, lower commodity prices, slowing economic growth among other key factors, are exacerbating the situation. Staple food prices are rising due to the generally poor crop production over the past two years. The Regional cereal deficit currently stands at close to 7.4 metric tonnes and is 11% below the five year average dropping from 29 million tonnes in 2015 to 26 million tonnes in 2016 (figures exclude Mauritius and Seychelles). The majority of the population is now entirely dependent on the markets for food.
Highlights
The negative impacts of the El Nino induced drought that has caused a humanitarian crisis affecting 39 Million people in SADC continue to worsen.
About 74% of the required Regional Humanitarian Appeal of $2.9billion is yet to be raised as only $757 million has been raised by governments ($222m) and partners ($535m).
A number of measures to speed up and facilitate the flow of humanitarian relief supplies from ports to beneficiaries approved by SADC Council of Ministers but a few bottlenecks exist in some port corridors.
Nutrition situation remains of concern in the SADC region with seven countries (Angola, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe) recording wasting levels above 5 per cent. Pockets of very high acute malnutrition reported at sub national level in several countries.
Insufficient funding affecting WASH response measures
Demand and supply situation in the formal commercial sector in selected drought affected countries including Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and Swaziland indicates significant gaps in maize and bean seed availability.
The latest Southern Africa Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF) outlook shows that most parts of Southern Africa are likely receive normal to above normal rains for the October- December period except for northern DRC, Tanzania, northwestern Angola, and northern Mozambique and eastern Madagascar where normal to below normal rains are expected