Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has launched an urgent appeal for international aid to tackle an unprecedented humanitarian crisis hitting his country. The El Niño weather phenomenon hit his country hard.
He called on the international community, the country’s partners, the private sector, churches and civil society organizations to financially and materially support the plan to limit the devastating effects of the drought.
In this televised address, President Hakainde Hichilema sounded the alarm.
Nearly half of the twenty million inhabitants of this very poor country in southern Africa were affected by this drought caused by the El Niño climatic phenomenon, estimates the head of state.
This natural meteorological phenomenon, which began in 2023, corresponds to a warming of a large part of the tropical Pacific and occurs every two to seven years and lasts between nine and twelve months.
Zambia’s emergency situation would require “life-saving” assistance of more than $900 million to deal with the worst drought in Zambia’s history. President Hichilema is therefore launching an appeal for international aid. “Zambia has experienced extremely little rainfall this year, causing the worst drought on record,” he added.
Today, more than six million people need emergency assistance, he said. As temperatures rise and water resources become increasingly scarce, families find themselves in an extremely precarious situation. Children are at increased risk of malnutrition, dehydration and disease.
In 84 of the country’s 116 districts, 6 million people are bearing the brunt of drought according to UNICEF.
It also extends over a large part of southern Africa, causing catastrophic droughts in Zimbabwe and Malawi, which have also requested international aid.
Français 
English (Canada) 