40 million people in Southern Africa are at risk of increased hunger and poverty due to the double threat of the coronavirus and consecutive climatic shocks, warned Oxfam today. 

Tens of thousands of people across Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique are still suffering 12 months after Cyclone Idai battered Southern Africa, warned Oxfam today. Cyclone Idai, one of the worst cyclones to hit Africa, made landfall on 14th March 2019.

More than 52 million people in 18 countries across southern, eastern and central Africa are facing up to crisis levels of hunger as a result of weather extremes, compounded by poverty and conflict.

 

Leaders must heed climate strikes and give vulnerable people the tools to survive.

Hunger is escalating as the United Nation’s humanitarian response in Mozambique is less than half funded.

Oxfam, together with Save the Children and CARE are calling for further emergency food assistance along with longer term livelihoods support to avert yet another crisis. 

Oxfam and international and local partners are planning to help people in Mozambique hit by a second devastating cyclone in less than six weeks.

Areas hit by Cyclone Idai are “like a war zone” says Oxfam. The destruction and suffering are still not fully mapped. Despite initial appeals, international aid effort are still grossly underfunded, and aid agencies are already stretched and running out of resources.

The first fatality has been confirmed and the number of cases is soaring, now over 1,000.

News reports that the number of cases of cholera in the cyclone-devastated city of Beira has risen to 139.