THE Malawi government has issued a fresh appeal to wealthy nations and aid agencies on Monday to provide emergency food assistance to their country where millions are in danger of going hungry.
An earlier call for food aid after President Bakili Muluzi declared a state of national disaster in February was met with a muted response.
Agriculture Secretary Ellard Malindi blamed the combination of heavy rains in some areas and droughts in other areas led to a steep decline in this year’s corn harvest, the country’s staple food.
But Malawi’s crisis was greatly exacerbated by the government’s disastrous decision last year to sell off its 167 000 ton emergency grain reserve. It remains unclear why exactly the reserve was sold and what happened to the money from the sale. Officials have promised to investigate.
The United Nations has spent some $2-million on food relief in Malawi, UN officials based here said, but there is reluctance among donor nations to give more aid.
Some donor nations have said the government reacted too late to the crisis and criticise what they describe as mismanagement of the grain reserves. The government denies any wrongdoing.
Malawian authorities estimate 7,7-million people ? 70% of the population – are being affected by the hunger in their impoverished country.
The World Food Program said 255 000 Malawians already need emergency food aid, but international donors have ignored its pleas for $4,2-million to buy it. The agency has been forced to tap $1,5-million from its own emergency reserves to buy corn.
Aid workers estimate that many thousands of children and adults have already died of hunger-related causes in Malawi. The hunger has helped fuel outbreaks of malaria and cholera, and further crushed the immune systems of the 800 000 Malawians infected with HIV. ? Sapa-AFP