South Africa food crisis – level 3 – News in Levels

18-10-2024 15:00

A severe drought in southern Africa is affecting millions of people, leading to a major food crisis, according to the United Nations (UN).

Five countries – Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – have declared national disasters as crops and livestock have been destroyed. Angola and Mozambique are also suffering. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warns that the situation will worsen until the next harvest in March or April 2025.

The WFP says over 27 million people are affected, including 21 million malnourished children. It is distributing food and cash to some areas but has only received one-fifth of the 369 million dollars it needs for relief. The drought, triggered by the El Niño weather phenomenon, has also led to electricity cuts and wildlife deaths in some countries. Urgent help is needed to prevent a full-scale humanitarian disaster.

Difficult words: malnourished (not having enough nutrition), trigger (to cause an event or situation to happen or exist), humanitarian (related to saving human lives).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.