Zimbabwe needs US$ 718 million in food aid: UN

ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe needs 718 million dollars in aid to stave off hunger for six million people amid a “staggering” humanitarian crisis worsened by a nationwide cholera epidemic, the United Nations said on Monday.

In addition to the severe food shortages, six million people have no access to safe water or sanitation, while 600,000 families will need farm aid for the upcoming planting season, the United Nations said.

“The country’s humanitarian needs remain staggering,” it said in a report.

“There is the concern that, unless conditions change, outbreaks of water-borne diseases at the onset of the next rainy season could lead to new cholera cases and higher humanitarian needs.”

Zimbabwe has suffered chronic food shortages since President Robert Mugabe began a chaotic land reform scheme nine years ago, but the crisis worsened dramatically in August as a nationwide cholera outbreak erupted. Since then, nearly 100,000 Zimbabweans have caught cholera, leading to more than 4,000 recorded deaths.

Harare, Tuesday, AFP