Devastating Drought in Southern Africa

The nations of Southern Africa are no strangers to drought. Historically, one in five years is a drought year in the region. But in recent decades, that number has risen to once every three or four years (The Guardian, November 14, 2024). Experts say the current drought is a once-in-a-century situation. The “lean season” with very little rain, which usually runs from October to April, began in August this year, two months early. “Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe have declared national disasters, while parts of Angola and Mozambique are also badly affected.”

The numbers are staggering, with 27 million people affected—including 21 million children who are malnourished. Many governments and relief organizations lack adequate supplies to manage the situation, and many people are living on one meager meal per day. In predominantly agrarian societies, when the crops fail, there is nothing to sell or trade—so there is simply no food! Sadly, in these dire situations, many women feel forced to sell their bodies for a very limited amount of food to feed their families.

The extreme drought in Southern Africa is only a foretaste of the far more widespread famine that will come in the last days, when an entire quarter of the earth’s population will be affected by hunger and other global tragedies. To learn more, be sure to read “The Black Horse of Famine.” For many living in the affluent West, and even in developing nations that have adequate rainfall, the extreme drought in Southern Africa can feel remote and unreal. Yet followers of Christ who look around the world and see their fellow human beings suffering in any nation should be moved to beseech God for His mercy and for the speedy return of Jesus Christ, our Savior!