Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Mozambique

Nine hunger related deaths confirmed

[Mozambique] Child in Chacalane camp. UNICEF
With most of the country experiencing drought conditions more Mozambicans might need food assistance
    JOHANNESBURG

    Authorities have confirmed nine hunger-related deaths in an isolated area of north-western Mozambique.

    The country is among six nations in Southern Africa experiencing food shortages due largely to consecutive droughts, failed government policy and the impact of HIV/AIDS. About 15 million people face hunger in the six affected countries.

    The office of the UN resident coordinator's emergency unit confirmed that nine hunger-related deaths had been reported in Magoe, an isolated and historically food insecure district. The nine had apparently resorted to eating wild fruits to stave off hunger.

    The INGC (Mozambique's National Disaster Management Institute) had earlier told IRIN that it projected a sharp increase in the numbers of people in need.

    The agency claimed that the number of people who would need food aid would rise to 1.4 million from the previous figure of about 600,000. This was mainly due to poor rains over the planting season in late 2002.

    However, the UN World Food Programme was still operating on the basis that 600,000 were in need until figures from the latest vulnerability assessments were validated.

    Further assessments are likely to be carried out soon in the Magoe district, which borders Zimbabwe.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join