Madagascar’s worst drought in decades

It has not rained in Madagascar for months and parasites have affected staple crops, leading to rising food prices and leaving families with nothing to eat.

In its latest Hunger Hotspots report for 2021, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) says acute food insecurity in southern Madagascar “is expected to push 14,000 people into catastrophic acute food insecurity by September 22.” It warns that the number is expected to double by the end of the year, with 28,000 people requiring urgent action to prevent widespread death and starvation.

The necessary support has however been slow in coming, suggesting that Madagascar may be facing a crisis forgotten by the rest of the world.

Starving to death

In Berary, in the very south of Madagascar, district head Metairie Rabefamory told German broadcaster ARD that he had seen how “five children and three women died,” stressing that “they starved to death.”

It has not rained in this remote part of the country for three years. The villagers’ fields have have turned to dust and they have not harvested anything this year.

Sinzay, a mother of eight children, survived thanks to a food delivery. “We were really helpless and like skeletons. We couldn’t even walk anymore. We would have broken down if we had just tripped over a branch,” she told ARD. “My children are crying. They cry so much, deep down, with all their might. One has already passed out from crying so much.”

Sinzay’s family have no food, safe home or clean clothes. Her son Havanay said they eat wild roots: “But we cannot cook them. We put them in the pot, cover them with water, but they remain raw. The roots are always hard. We eat them, but they don’t fill us up.”

The desperation of eating anything to survive has left him with stomach cramps and diarrhea. “When I go to the bathroom, my stool is yellow and sometimes bloody. I would like a blanket, clothes and sandals. But above all I want to eat something,” Havanay said.

COVID-19 worsens crisis

Many aid organizations have reported on the devastation of the drought on families who hardly have anything to eat.

The head of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Madagascar, Ricardo Fernandez, told ARD that the work of the international humanitarian medical non-governmental organization has become difficult.

“For example, a major factor that makes malnutrition worse is unemployment. In addition, people no longer have any food, they cannot harvest, there is no work, no income. COVID-19 also complicates the situation because the pandemic hinders everything: Our use, mobility and the distribution of goods,” Fernandez said.

Other aid organizations trying to help have reported similar stories. They say people are resorting to eating cockroaches, clay mixed with leaves, even leather, in their desperation.

One woman, Florentine, was forced to cook leather for a meal. “We’ll eat it right away because we’re so hungry,” she said.

Florentine is a climate refugee from the very south who made her inland. But she says things are no better there.

Lack of access to affected regions

The crisis in Madagascar is compounded by the lack of access to areas worst hit by drought. The roads in some remote regions of the country are terrible, requiring days for the transport of relief supplies.

Lova Hasinirina Ranoromaro, the head the office of the president, told ARD that the government wants to build roads and a pipeline to provide clean water to people.

“President [Andry] Rajoelina gave ministers three, six, 12 and 18 months to see results. He really wants these projects to have a real impact on people within 18 months. Of course, when we talk about roads we have to take into account the delays in road construction,” Ranoromaro said.

For some people, this may not come quickly enough. The UN WFP has warned that the acute food insecurity has reached critical levels in Ambovombe, Ampanihy Ouest, Beloha and Tsihombe. At least 55% of people living in these districts are in urgent need of action to protect livelihoods, reduce food shortages and save lives.