Due to the severe El Niño-induced drought affecting the region, the worst in 35 years, as well as floods, an estimated 40 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Out of this, 23 million require immediate humanitarian assistance. In response to this, the Southern African Development Community is appealing for $2.4 billion to support the humanitarian needs of the affected population in some of the Countries. The appeal is in support of on-going planned efforts by SADC Member States and covers all relevant sectors in an effort to enable a holistic approach to the drought, addressing immediate multi-sectoral humanitarian needs as well as referencing longer term developmental and resilience-building requirements. The international community is hereby formally requested to provide assistance to affected Member States with gaps in their humanitarian response. These are Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
