The international humanitarian organisation, Concern, has warned of a catastrophe similar to the 1984 Ethiopian famine if donor agencies do not respond immediately to the humanitarian crises brewing in Malawi and Zimbabwe.
The organisation said the two countries faced their worst famines in living memory unless there was immediate international action to prevent starvation.
According to the United Nations’ World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, more than three million Malawians and six million Zimbabweans, about half Zimbabwe’s population, need emergency food aid. The UN agencies warn that if international food assistance is not provided immediately and adequately, there would be serious famine and loss of life in the coming months in Zimbabwe.
Concern’s Jack Finucane, who headed a recent assessment mission to Zimbabwe, said: "Only massive intervention now, with large-scale delivery of food aid, will prevent catastrophe on the scale of the 1984 Ethiopian Famine, or Somalia 1991-92."
The Ethiopian famine of 1984 claimed about 800,000 lives while more than 250,000 lives were lost during the 1991-1992 Somali famine.
The organisation said the two countries faced their worst famines in living memory unless there was immediate international action to prevent starvation.
According to the United Nations’ World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, more than three million Malawians and six million Zimbabweans, about half Zimbabwe’s population, need emergency food aid. The UN agencies warn that if international food assistance is not provided immediately and adequately, there would be serious famine and loss of life in the coming months in Zimbabwe.
Concern’s Jack Finucane, who headed a recent assessment mission to Zimbabwe, said: "Only massive intervention now, with large-scale delivery of food aid, will prevent catastrophe on the scale of the 1984 Ethiopian Famine, or Somalia 1991-92."
The Ethiopian famine of 1984 claimed about 800,000 lives while more than 250,000 lives were lost during the 1991-1992 Somali famine.