HARARE, MORE than US$10 billion (R140 billion) will be required this year alone to address escalating hunger needs in more than 80 countries around the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central Sahel region, South Sudan and Zimbabwe are projected to be worst affected by the crisis.

This is according to the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP), which attributed hunger to conflict, climate change and economic problems.

WFP is fighting big and complex humanitarian battles on several fronts at the start of 2020, said David Beasley, Executive Director of WFP.

The WFP singled out Zimbabwe where amid an imploding economy, the situation in Zimbabwe is increasingly precarious as the country enters the peak of its lean season when food is at its most scarce.

There, the number of hungry people 4 million- has reached its highest point in a decade.

WFP warned that the impact of a regional drought could drag yet more countries down in the first months of the year.

Every year, the agency plans ahead for the next 12 months and appeals for support from the governments, private sector institutions and members of the public to reach its humanitarian and development goals.

The world is an unforgiving place. As we turn the page into 2020, WFP is confronting new, monumental humanitarian challenges that we need to address with real urgency, said Margot Van Der Velden, WFP Director of Emergencies.

Source: CAJ News Agency