Staff Reporter
THE President of Angola and SADC chairman, João Lourenço, has said that there is an urgent need to address the humanitarian crisis facing the region as a result of recurring droughts and tropical cyclones.
Speaking during an emergency SADC summit in Luanda on Monday, Lourenço expressed concern about the more than 61 million people affected by the consequences of drought, such as water scarcity, poor harvests, and an increase in human-wildlife conflict. He also spoke of tropical cyclones, which cause sudden inundations and landslides, resulting in loss of human lives and damage to infrastructure.
Lourenço announced the creation of the SADC Regional Humanitarian Assistance Appeal to mobilize resources to assist affected SADC member states. This includes the creation of a SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre to ensure a coordinated response to natural disasters in the region.
The SADC Chairman said that the Emergency Summit addressed the humanitarian crisis facing the region and launched the SADC 2024 Regional Appeal for Humanitarian Assistance in response to the El Niño-induced drought and tropical cyclones.
He said that SADC is facing a humanitarian crisis as a consequence of drought that has negatively affected the lives and means of subsistence of more than 61 million people. This drought occurs at a time when the region also faces sudden inundations and landslides caused by heavy rains hastened by tropical cyclones.
