Zimbabwe: Country Appeals for $1.5 Bil to Prevent Starvation

Zimbabwe on Tuesday appealed to local businesses and charities for $1.5bn aid to save more than a quarter of the population from starvation due to drought.

"The government of Zimbabwe requires a total of $1 572 009 953 with effect from February to December 2016," Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe's vice president told a news conference in the capital Harare.

"The amount of rainfall received to date is inadequate to meet basic household consumption needs as well as support for livelihoods, agriculture and wildlife."

Mnangagwa's appeal comes barely a week after President Robert Mugabe declared a "state of disaster" in many rural areas hit by severe drought.


Stefan Gara