UN: 45 million face ‘severe’ food shortages in southern Africa

The United Nations has raised the alarm over an unprecedented food crisis in southern Africa.
About 45 million people are facing severe shortages, according to the UN’s World Food Programme.
Years of drought, widespread flooding and economic turmoil are being blamed for the emergency.
The 16 countries in the region have had a normal crop season only once in the past five years.
Zimbabwe is the worst hit, with 7.7 million people – half the population – suffering from a severe food shortage.
And a fifth of the population in Zambia, a regional bread basket, is struggling to feed itself.

Gerald Bourke, the spokesperson for the World Food Programme for southern Africa, talks to Al Jazeera.

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The World Food Programme is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations. It is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, the largest one focused on hunger and food security, and the largest provider of school meals. Founded in 1961, it is headquartered in Rome and has offices in 80 countries.

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Zambia, in southern Africa, is a landlocked country of rugged terrain and diverse wildlife, with many parks and safari areas. On its border with Zimbabwe is famed Victoria Falls – indigenously called Mosi-oa-Tunya, or “Smoke That Thunders” – plunging a misty 108m into narrow Batoka Gorge. Spanning the Zambezi River just below the falls is Victoria Falls Bridge, a spectacular viewpoint.

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Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa known for its dramatic landscape and diverse wildlife, much of it within parks, reserves and safari areas. On the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls make a thundering 108m drop into narrow Batoka Gorge, where there’s white-water rafting and bungee-jumping. Downstream are Matusadona and Mana Pools national parks, home to hippos, rhinos and birdlife.

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