Acute Food Insecurity May Persist Until January In Mozambique

Acute food insecurity may persist until January 2025 in areas affected by the El Niño phenomenon and armed conflicts in Mozambique, according to the Hunger Early Warning Systems Network (Fews network).

"Crisis acute food insecurity may persist between October 2024 and January 2025 in areas affected by drought during the 2023/2024 agricultural season and in areas affected by armed conflict in the north of the country", reads the network's latest report Fews, consulted today by Lusa.

The network, which brings together North American organizations, places the central, southern regions and the province of Cabo Delgado, which has been facing an armed rebellion since October 2017, in the "crisis phase, level three", of food risk, on a scale from one to five, from minimal risk to the most serious, the last indicating a lack of food.

"This is due to a combination of factors, including the start of the lean season in October, a below-average harvest in 2024, limited income-generating opportunities due to increased competition, and above-average staple food prices," it says - if in the report.

According to the Fews network, these conditions will make it difficult for "poor and very poor families" with below-average purchasing power to access food.

"In Cabo Delgado, certain areas that have received regular humanitarian food assistance could improve" to phase two of the acute food insecurity classification, it is concluded.

Around 4.8 million people need humanitarian assistance in Mozambique, with 64 million dollars (60.6 million euros) needed to respond to the needs, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) recently estimated.

"The multiple crises currently affecting Mozambique - conflict, drought and public health emergencies - are straining humanitarian resources. Around 4.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance (10% of people with disabilities), including 3.4 million children", reads a statement from Unicef.

In September, the United Nations (UN) said that close to two million people need humanitarian assistance in the country.

"This year, Mozambique was affected by the drought induced by the El Niño phenomenon, during the 2023-2024 season. It is estimated that around 1.8 million people may face food insecurity between next October and March 2025. Given this situation, The need for humanitarian assistance for affected communities has increased, especially in the central and southern regions of Mozambique", explained the organization.

Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by global climate change, cyclically facing floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which takes place between October and April.