Malawi declared disaster area
2005-10-15 13:34
Blantyre - Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika on Saturday declared a food crisis affecting millions a national disaster in a bid to draw more attention to the plight of his drought-stricken country from international donors.
"I declare all 28 districts of Malawi disaster areas. The food crisis has escalated and we need more assistance," Mutharika said in an address broadcast on state radio.
"We are facing a national disaster affecting the lives of our people," he said.
The United Nations World Food Programme estimates that up to five million of the country's 12 million people are in need of food aid after the worst drought in more than a decade drastically cut production of maize, the staple food in this southern African country.
The poor yield combined with rising maize prices and the Aids pandemic have conspired to push Malawi, one of Africa's poorest countries, to the brink of a humanitarian crisis.
Mutharika had over the past weeks faced mounting calls from the opposition and the churches to declare a state of national disaster, in a bid to draw the attention of international donors and focus more national resources on the crisis.