More Than 41 Million Southern Africans Face Hunger After Drought
- El Nino-induced drought caused nearly 500,000 livestock deaths
- High chance of La Nina means better rains and harvests
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More than 41.4 million people in the Southern African Development Community are food insecure, with about half of them needing urgent help after the worst regional drought in 35 years, the trade bloc of 15 countries said.
The El Nino-induced drought has curbed cereal production in almost all countries in the region, which spans from South Africa to the Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to deficits. Almost 500,000 livestock have died in Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa and Zimbabwe alone, while dams have also been severely depleted, according to SADC.