Madagascar edges toward famine, UN food agency appeals for assistance

People living in Madagascar are learning to adapt to rapidly altering climatic conditions in what is said to be the fourth most climate change affected country worldwide; that’s according to the UN Resident Coordinator, the most senior UN official in the Indian Ocean island nation.

In the south of Madagascar, known as the Grand Sud, hundreds of thousands of people are suffering from one of the worst droughts in the region in 40 years, the most senior UN official in the country has said, warning that the population is facing a severe humanitarian crisis.

Lives, livelihoods, and vital crops are at risk across Madagascar with Tropical Cyclone Batsirai expected to make landfall within hours. Meanwhile, the island nation off the coast of East Africa is still reeling from the impact of Storm Ana last month, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday.