Zimbabwe Removed from Global Hunger Watchlist After Drought Recovery
Zimbabwe is no longer classified as a global hunger hotspot, following improved food security conditions driven by favorable weather patterns and stronger harvests.
This shift comes after the nation endured its most severe drought in four decades, which had left nearly 7.6 million people in urgent need of food assistance.
In a joint report released this week, the World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) confirmed Zimbabwe’s delisting, alongside Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Zambia, and Niger.
The agencies credited “better climatic conditions for harvests and fewer weather extremes” as key contributors to easing hunger across eastern and southern Africa.
The El Niño-induced drought had pushed large sections of the population into humanitarian distress. While the latest data shows improvement, the report warned:
“These gains remain fragile and could reverse quickly if shocks re-emerge”.
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu urged swift global action: “We must act now and act together to save lives and safeguard livelihoods.
“Protecting people’s farms and animals to ensure they can keep producing food where they are, even in the toughest and harshest conditions, is not just urgent, it is essential.”
Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the WFP, described the findings as a call to act: “We know where hunger is rising and we know who is at risk. Urgent, sustained investment in food assistance and recovery support is crucial as the window to avert yet more devastating hunger is closing fast.”
Despite positive developments in Zimbabwe and other nations, the report also spotlighted worsening food insecurity in 13 countries. Sudan, South Sudan, Palestine, Haiti, and Mali remain areas of highest concern.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo—once food secure—is now flagged as a hunger hotspot to watch. Additional countries requiring urgent intervention include Yemen, Myanmar, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia, and Syria.
