Malawi Declares State of Disaster, Mozambique Issues Red Alert

Malawi on Wednesday declare a state of national disaster due to food shortage fears over a drought in southern Africa, while Mozambique to issue a "red alert".

    President of Malawi Peter Mutharika warned in a statement carried by BBC some people became in need for aid for all of this year. "It is very clear that we have [a] food shortage in the country which will affect a considerable number of our fellow citizens," President Mutharika said. 

    Mozambique, for its part, raised alert levels for southern and central regions to red alert, the highest warning levels, which heralds a state of emergency or national disaster Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Zambia are also suffering food shortages, while South Africa says its drought is the worst in a century. Over 10 million people across the region will need food aid in the coming year, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

    Malawi has recently suffered both flash floods and drought, hitting the nations' staple maize crop. In Zimbabwe, more than a quarter of the rural population - about 2.8 million people - do not have enough to eat. South Africa, normally an exporter, has had to import grain to cover its needs. 

    Food prices in Zambia have sharply risen while low water levels at the Kariba dam have hit hydro-electric energy production. El Nino weather phenomenon has been blamed for the drought, as well as extreme weather in countries across the globe. 

Source : QNA