Drought prompts Lesotho aid plea

By Peter Greste
BBC News, Johannesburg

Lesotho needs short-term help to avert a famine

The southern African Kingdom of Lesotho has declared a state of emergency and appealed for international help to feed more than 400,000 people.

The crisis comes in the wake of the most severe drought in 30 years.

Maize production has collapsed by more than 40% and the World Food Programme says more than one fifth of the 1.9m population urgently needs food aid.

A spokesman for the UN body said that the crisis had been compounded by the country's HIV/Aids pandemic.

With almost one in four people infected, most of them middle-aged, the number of orphans is rising dramatically, while the number of people able to tend the fields is falling.

Famine threat

For months, farmers in Lesotho and neighbouring states knew that things were bad but a series of assessments by local and international institutions has confirmed their fears.

The World Food Programme estimates that the cereal harvest in Lesotho is now less than a quarter of what the country needs to feed itself.

In response, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili has declared a state of emergency.

He has appealed for both short-term help to avert a famine and enough resources to eliminate the country's dependency on food aid in the long-term.