WORLD · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Southern Africa Faces Humanitarian Crisis Amid El Niño Forecast
WHY IT MATTERS
The humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa highlights the need for urgent preparedness and response efforts to mitigate the impacts of El Niño and address ongoing displacement, food insecurity, and disease outbreaks.
What happened
Humanitarian needs persist in Southern Africa due to disease outbreaks, displacement, climate-related shocks, and conflict. A strong El Niño is forecast to bring below-normal rainfall and above-average temperatures, exacerbating displacement, reduced agricultural production, and disease outbreaks.
Seasonal harvests and improved rainfall conditions have reduced acute food insecurity, but food insecurity persists in Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique. Acute malnutrition remains a concern, with over 680,000 children under 5 estimated to be acutely malnourished.
Disease outbreaks, including cholera, mpox, and measles, continue to pressure fragile health systems. Conflict persists as a key driver of displacement, with nearly 570,000 refugees and asylum seekers and 844,000 internally displaced people.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Angola: Southern Africa: Humanitarian Snapshot (as of October 2026)
ReliefWeb / original provider · UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs · ReliefWeb aggregation; original provider terms apply; link and attribution to the named source required
CORRECTIONS & UPDATES
- Revision 1 · Initial ingestion · Oct 14, 2026, 3:31 PM
- Revision 2 · Source update detected · Oct 14, 2026, 3:31 PM