UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 12 million people are severely food insecure in Southern Africa as the lean season has begun, said a UN spokesman on Wednesday.
Parts of Zambia, Zimbabwe and Angola are projected to face emergency levels of food insecurity, with acute malnutrition having risen in multiple countries, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Many people are unable to access clean water, and girls and women are reportedly forced to resort to negative coping strategies, including early marriage and transactional sex, he said.
Southern Africa is experiencing the effects of the climate crisis, with warming at about twice the global rate, noted the spokesman.
Below-average rains are being recorded in many areas and cyclones are expected in others, which could lead to a second consecutive poor harvest, he warned.
