The United Nations food agency on Wednesday said urgent international support is needed to prevent millions of people in Zimbabwe from plunging deeper into hunger.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it needed $130 million to fund emergency operations in Zimbabwe until August and prevent a catastrophe in the southern African nation. Around 7.7 million Zimbabweans, almost half of the country’s population, are in need of food aid after a devastating drought and cyclone last year. A lack of predictable rains this year has affected the growth of crops, compounding the situation.
And now with the COVID 19 pandemic threat looming, the country’s already severe climate- and recession-induced hunger crisis is becoming even more profound.
“With most Zimbabweans already struggling to put food on the table, the COVID pandemic risks even wider and deeper desperation”, said Eddie Rowe, WFP’s Country Director. “We must all do our utmost to prevent this tragedy turning into a catastrophe.”
The WFP said inflation, which was recorded at 540% in February this year, has pushed the prices of staples beyond the reach of most Zimbabweans, forcing people to eat less and sell off belongings or go into debt.
Furthermore, Zimbabwe’s mining industry, the largest single industry that earns foreign exchange for the country, has already showed signs of falling exports due to the effects of the new coronavirus.
The country is currently under a 21-day lockdown period. The government claims the lockdown is necessary to contain the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 81,000 people globally.
But, people have complained that the risks are exacerbating the situation as over 80% of the country’s working population depends on the informal sector for their living, leaving them with few protections.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of COVID-19 cases in Africa has now risen to more than 10,000, claiming more than 500 lives.
