The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday warned that persistent drought in southern Madagascar has left hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of famine
Ministry of Health data revealed that 16.5 percent of children under five now suffer from acute malnutrition, almost double the proportion four months ago.
In a press statement, the agency said the Ambovombe district in the Indian Ocean island’s far south has been the worst-hit and that acute malnutrition there exceeds 27 percent, putting the lives of many children at risk.
WFP Senior Director of Operations Amer Daoudi, who was on a mission in the area said the scale of the catastrophe is beyond belief, having witnessed heart-breaking scenes of severely malnourished children and starving families.
Daoudi made a call for urgent action to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis, while the WFP estimates that US$74 million is needed over the next six months to prevent a catastrophe.
At least 1.35 million people have been left in need of emergency food and nutrition assistance by the ongoing drought which intensified from the start of the lean season in September.
Through monthly food and cash distributions, WFP says it has assisted 750,000 people, but hundreds of thousands more are being pushed “to the brink of famine”.
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