Zimbabwe declares drought disaster, the latest in a region where El Nino has left millions hungry

Zimbabwe declares state of disaster due to devastating drought, appealing for $2 billion in humanitarian aid.

Zimbabwe declared a state of disaster on April 3 over a devastating drought that's sweeping across much of southern Africa, with the country's President saying it needs $2 billion for humanitarian assistance.

The declaration was widely expected following similar actions by neighbouring Zambia and Malawi, where drought linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon has scorched crops, leaving millions of people in need of food assistance.

“Due to the El Nino-induced drought … more than 80% of our country received below normal rainfall," President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in a speech calling for international aid. The country's top priority, he said, is "securing food for all Zimbabweans. No Zimbabwean must succumb to, or die from hunger”.

He appealed to United Nations agencies, local businesses and faith organisations to contribute towards humanitarian assistance.

El Nino, a naturally occurring climatic phenomenon that warms parts of the Pacific Ocean every two to seven years, has varied effects on the world's weather. In southern Africa, it typically causes below-average rainfall, but this year has seen the worst drought in decades.

In Zimbabwe, the United Nations' World Food Programme has already rolled out a food assistance programme targeting the 2.7 million people, nearly 20% of the country's population, from January to March.

The first few months of the year are traditionally known as the “lean period”, when households run short as they wait for the new harvest. However, there is little hope for replenishing food stores this year, and Mnangagwa said that even more people than previously forecast will likely need food aid.