'Millions lacking food' in Africa

Oxfam starts delivering food to Malawi this week

Ten million people are facing food shortages in southern Africa later this year, the charity Oxfam has warned.

Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are among the countries threatened after the poorest harvest in the region since 1992.

The charity says urgent action is needed to avoid a repeat of the famine in Niger, which was foreseen but warnings about which were ignored.

Oxfam called on rich countries to act now to avert another crisis.

"Niger was forecast six months in advance, yet rich countries did almost nothing until the 11th hour, " said Neil Townsend, Oxfam's regional humanitarian co-ordinator for southern Africa.

"People died as a direct result and now there is an impending crisis in southern Africa.

"The situation is very different, but the principle is the same - if rich countries wait, once again, until TV crews arrive before giving enough money, people in southern Africa will pay the price of their neglect."

Additional aid

The charity, which is beginning food distribution in Malawi this week, is calling for UN member states to commit an additional $1bn into an UN emergency reserve fund, on top of their existing aid, so that when a country needs assistance, money would be available immediately.

A spokesman for the Department for International Development said minister Hilary Benn was writing to other EU countries to urge them to respond promptly to any developing crisis.

"We are aware that up to 10.7 million people in Southern Africa are vulnerable to severe food shortages between now and the harvest in March 2006.

"The DFID has already provided over £40m of humanitarian relief to Southern African countries this year and is monitoring the situation closely."