BY VANESSA GONYE THE southern African region, Zimbabwe included, is reportedly reeling under the effects of the Russian-Ukraine conflict, which is negatively impacting the region’s recovery from natural disasters such as cyclones.
Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Seychelles are still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Ana, which exacerbated the effects of Cyclone Idai, which hit Zimbabwe and Mozambique in March 2019.
In Zimbabwe, the cyclone left a trail of destruction in Mutasa and Nyanga districts of Manicaland province.
In a statement yesterday, Care International said: “This raises worry on how people in the region will recover as the challenges of available supplies was hitting hard, especially in the cyclone-hit area of Nampula province in Mozambique, which had another Cyclone (Gombe) on March 11.”
Christine Beasley, CARE Mozambique country director, said humanitarian supplies such as tents were being redirected to Ukraine war victims.
“Commonly used relief supplies, including tarps and tents, are difficult to find. Many pre-positioned relief supplies from donors are being channelled to Ukraine and Poland to meet the massive needs of refugees, and available supplies are running low for emergencies elsewhere, including in Mozambique. For an emergency response to be credible, it has to be fast,” Beasley said.
“With the current shortages of pre-positioned supplies, our only option may be to order directly from the factories in China and this will certainly not be fast enough to meet the immediate needs of people displaced by Cyclone Gombe.”
Mozambique has also seen a rise in fuel prices, the most recent by 12%, which government attributed to the war in Ukraine.
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For Zimbabwe and Zambia, where the economies are already fragile, fuel prices have increased by 13% and 7%, respectively.
In Malawi, 70% of the population is said to be living below the poverty datum line, while jobs are at risk as a result of the conflict.
Amos Zaindi, CARE Malawi country director, said: “Due to interruptions in the supply chain, this has led to a 40% increase in the production cost of bread and wheat products.”
CARE International Southern Africa advocacy advisor Chikondi Chabvata said weak economies in southern Africa would be more strained due to the war in Ukraine.
“In a situation where vulnerabilities are already high due to the adverse impacts of climate change, having conflicts that impact the global food supply chain leaves those who are at risk worse off than they were,” Chabvata said.
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