Southern Madagascar - Hunger Crisis - WFP
/
2:39
/
MP4
/
195.9 MB

Edited News | WFP

Southern Madagascar - Hunger Crisis - WFP

After five years of drought, southern Madagascar is at ‘periphery of famine’: WFP

A humanitarian catastrophe caused by unrelenting drought is unfolding in southern Madagascar where children and adults are on the “periphery of famine”, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday, in an urgent appeal for international support.

“The writing is on the wall, the images are horrific, and what I saw with my own eyes tell me we are heading towards a disaster and we need to stop that,” said veteran aid logistics expert and Senior Director of Operations in Madagascar, Amer Daoudi.

The development echoes previous alerts from the UN agency, which warned last September that families had already eaten their vital seed stocks over the lean season, leaving them nothing to grow for their next planting season.

“The situation is extremely, extremely, worrisome, scary. They are on the periphery of famine and these are images that I haven’t seen for quite some time across the globe,” Mr. Daoudi said, referring to the situation in “most districts” of southern Madagascar.

“What I witnessed yesterday - again with members of the diplomatic and international community as well as the Government - is horrific images of starving children, malnourished, and not only the children, mothers, parents and the population in the villages we visited.”

The situation has become so dire for many families that they have been forced to sell their cooking utensils – a final desperate coping measure – and eight in 10 people in some southern areas have resorted to eating locusts, raw red cactus fruits or wild leaves.

This had led to “whole villages shutting down and moving to the nearest urban centres”, Mr. Daoudi said, although some were likely too weak to make the relatively short journey.

“There is no place to flee (except) the nearest urban centre, if they can make it, but some of the condition of the people I saw yesterday, will not even make the 40 kilometres track.”

Detailed needs assessments are expected to be completed over the weekend, although data about how many people have already died from hunger in this latest humanitarian emergency in southern Madagascar is unclear.

The UN agency reported that malnutrition in children under five has almost doubled in the last four months and is now at “an alarming” 16.5 per cent, according to latest Government data.

The worst affected district is Ambovombe where child malnutrition is 27 per cent, according to WFP, noting that youngsters with acute malnutrition are four times more likely to die than healthy children.

“If a child dies, they bury (it), there is no reporting, there is no official type (of) reporting to take these numbers, same thing with grown-ups,” said Mr. Daoudi, highlighting the impact of “five years’ consecutive droughts, climatic changes and (a) deteriorating food security situation”.

WFP has appealed for $74 million for the next six months to respond to the emergency “and prevent a catastrophe”.

It currently helps up to 750,000 people a month via food and cash distributions, but

at least 1.35 million people require emergency assistance.

“We need the resources yesterday,” Mr. Daoudi said, speaking via Zoom from Antananarivo. “Because in order to turn resources into mouths…into food in the mouths of people, it will take some time. The infrastructure is extremely bad, it takes forever to get cargo into Madagascar and then from the ports into the affected areas, given how large the area is and how dispersed the population are.”

ends

STORY: Southern Madagascar Hunger Crisis - WFP

TRT: 02 min 38s

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 30 APRIL 2021 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST

  1. Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day.
  2. Wide shot, podium with speakers in a near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Palais des Nations.
  3. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amer Daoudi, Senior Director of Operations in Madagascar, WFP (UN World Food Programme): “The situation is extremely, extremely, worrisome, scary. They are on the periphery of famine and these are images that I haven’t seen for quite some time across the globe.”
  4. Medium wide shot, attendee using listening device to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
  5. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amer Daoudi, Senior Director of Operations in Madagascar, WFP (UN World Food Programme): “What I witnessed yesterday again with members of the diplomatic and international community as well as the Government, is horrific images of starving children, malnourished, and not only the children, mothers, parents and the population in the villages we visited.”
  6. Medium shot, attendee sitting in front of laptop, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
  7. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amer Daoudi, Senior Director of Operations in Madagascar, WFP (UN World Food Programme): “The writing is on the wall, the images are horrific, and what I saw with my own eyes tells me we are heading towards a disaster and we need to stop that.”
  8. Wide shot, attendee sitting to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
  9. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amer Daoudi, Senior Director of Operations in Madagascar, WFP (UN World Food Programme): “We’re already witnessing villages, whole villages, shutting down and moving to the nearest urban centres.”
  10. Medium shot, attendee using his phone in foreground and cameraman to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations
  11. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amer Daoudi, Senior Director of Operations in Madagascar, WFP (UN World Food Programme): “There is no place to flee, so with the nearest urban centre, if they can make it, but some of the condition of the people I saw yesterday, will not even make the 40 kilometres track.”
  12. Wide medium shot, seat alley and attendee sitting to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
  13. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amer Daoudi, Senior Director of Operations in Madagascar, WFP (UN World Food Programme): “If a child dies, they bury (it), there is no reporting, there is no official type (of) reporting to take these numbers, same thing with grown-ups.”
  14. Medium wide shot, attendees sitting in Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
  15. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amer Daoudi, Senior Director of Operations in Madagascar, WFP (UN World Food Programme): “We have reached to this point the due to five years’ consecutive droughts, climatic changes and deteriorating food security situation in southern Madagascar.”
  16. Wide medium shot, attendee sitting in Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
  17. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amer Daoudi, Senior Director of Operations in Madagascar, WFP (UN World Food Programme): “We need the resources yesterday. Because in order to turn resources into mouths…into food in the mouths of people, it will take some time. The infrastructure is extremely bad, it takes forever to get cargo into Madagascar and then from the ports into the affected areas, given how large the area is and how dispersed the population are.”
  18. Medium shot, TV broadcasting in foreground and podium with speakers to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.

Similar Stories

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on attacks around aid sites in Gaza

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on attacks around aid sites in Gaza ENG FRA

“Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza, are unconscionable. For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This morning, we have received information that dozens more people were killed and injured,” Jeremy Laurence UN Human Rights spokesperson said at the biweekly press briefing in Geneva.

Gaza aid update - OCHA 30 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA

Gaza aid update - OCHA 30 May 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza ‘hungriest place on earth’ with aid stymied – UN humanitarians

Starving Gazans continue to be deprived of aid as international relief efforts are being severely constrained by the Israeli authorities, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said on Friday.

Gaza humanitarian update - OCHA, UNRWA

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNRWA

Gaza humanitarian update - OCHA, UNRWA ENG FRA

As a controversial United States and Israel-backed aid distribution plan gets underway in Gaza, the UN called on Tuesday for an “immediate surge” of its own pre-positioned supplies to help prevent starvation.

Uganda UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani  urges president to reject bill allowing trials of civilians in military courts

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

Uganda UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani urges president to reject bill allowing trials of civilians in military courts ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani today urged Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to reject a bill that was recently endorsed by parliament allowing trials of civilians in military courts. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces Amendment Bill 2025, which was passed on 20 May and now awaits presidential signature to become law, among others broadens the jurisdiction of military courts, authorising them to try a wide range of offences against civilians.

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango: South Sudan: UN human rights chief decries escalating hostilities, arbitrary arrests and hate speech

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango: South Sudan: UN human rights chief decries escalating hostilities, arbitrary arrests and hate speech ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today warned of a further deterioration in the human rights situation in South Sudan at the bi-weekly briefing in Geneva.

Syria humanitarian update OCHA - WHO 23 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , WHO

Syria humanitarian update OCHA - WHO 23 May 2025 ENG FRA

Syria: ‘Staggering’ needs amid insecurity, health care crisis  - UN humanitarians

Millions of people in Syria continue to face mortal danger from unexploded munitions, disease and malnutrition and urgent support is required, UN humanitarians said on Friday.

Gaza health update - UNRWA - OCHA - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA , OCHA , WHO

Gaza health update - UNRWA - OCHA - WHO ENG FRA

UN life-saving aid allowed to trickle into Gaza as civilian needs mount

Amid calls for more humanitarian trucks to enter the food and medicine-deprived Palestinian enclave of Gaza, UN humanitarians have received permission from Israel for “around 100” more aid trucks to cross into the Strip after only five were let in yesterday,  But the scale of relief efforts allowed remains entirely insufficient to meet the urgent needs of people there, humanitarian workers say.

Press vests becoming a target - war reporter Christina Assi

1

1

1

Edited News

Press vests becoming a target - war reporter Christina Assi ENG FRA

A war reporter from Lebanon who lost a limb in the line of duty is calling for an end to impunity for attacks against journalists.

ITU 160th Anniversary - 17 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | ITU

ITU 160th Anniversary - 17 May 2025 ENG FRA

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) commemorated 160 years dedicated to connecting the world on Saturday, 17 May in Geneva, Switzerland, during the annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

Gaza humanitarian update – WHO, OCHA 16 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , OCHA

Gaza humanitarian update – WHO, OCHA 16 May 2025 ENG FRA

Gazans ‘in terror’ after another night of deadly strikes and siege

Amid reports that Israeli strikes across Gaza into Friday killed at least 64 people, aid teams once again pushed back strongly at allegations that aid is being diverted to Hamas and pleaded for the blockade to end.

UN Human Rights raises human rights concerns about deportations from the United States of America

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights raises human rights concerns about deportations from the United States of America ENG FRA

Deportations over recent months of large numbers of non-nationals from the United States of America, especially to countries other than those of their origin, raise a number of human rights concerns, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned on Tuesday.   

Gaza health update - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza health update - WHO ENG FRA

Gaza: Over 50 child malnutrition deaths amid aid blockade; entire generation will be ‘permanently affected’ - WHO

In the aid desert of Gaza, malnourished children are dying while survivors can expect a lifetime of dire health problems, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.