Zimbabwe Declares El Nino Drought A National Disaster

Major growing areas in Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe received only 80 percent of average rainfall during the mid-November-to-February summer period (Credit: AFP)

Zimbabwe declared drought a national disaster on Wednesday, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa saying the country needs $2 billion in aid to help millions of people who are going hungry.

A severe dry spell induced by the El Nino weather pattern is wreaking havoc across southern Africa.