Zimbabwe: Drought Disaster, UN Pledges Support

April 4, 2024 Hour: 3:37 pm

On Wednesday, the United Nations pledged to assist Zimbabwe in mobilizing resources to address the El Niño induced drought crisis.

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Zimbabwe: State of Disaster Declared, Drought

This commitment follows President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s declaration of a state of disaster earlier in the day due to the drought, which has significantly reduced cereal output and affected critical food security resources for rural communities.

“The UN pledges its support to the government of Zimbabwe in mobilizing resources to tackle the El Niño induced drought, and efforts are underway to finalize a response plan focusing on food security, health, education, shelter and other essential areas to address the needs of those affected by the crisis,” said Edward Kallon, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Zimbabwe, in a statement.

“The UN pledges its support to the Government of Zimbabwe in mobilizing resources to tackle the El Ni drought and efforts are underway to finalize a response plan focusing on essential areas to address the needs of those affected by the crisis.” @EdwardKallon @UNZimbabwe#Zimbabwe pic.twitter.com/mJuJKZZljM

— RodnoyKudzanai (@RodnoyKudzanai)
April 4, 2024

Noting the severe impact of the dry spell in Zimbabwe and the southern African region, Kallon said that in Zimbabwe, the crisis has far-reaching consequences of various sectors of the economy.

In declaring the disaster, Mnangagwa said that Zimbabwe requires over 2 billion dollars to respond to the drought. Despite planting 1,728,897 hectares of maize crop and other cereals this year, which should have guaranteed a bountiful harvest, only 868,273 metric tonnes of cereal are expected in this season’s harvest, leaving the nation with a cereal deficit of nearly 680,000 metric tonnes of grain, according to Mnangagwa.

Breaking: Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa declares a national disaster to address the severe drought crisis. With half of the maize crop destroyed due to low rainfall, $2bn is urgently needed to combat hunger. Food prices are soaring, and 2.7 million people are at risk of… pic.twitter.com/ObBKIeXhV4

— notifier (@notifiermedia)
April 4, 2024