Pockets of famine have developed in several parts of Liberia following a sharp reduction in food production and a serious disruption of relief distributions. Although some areas have become accessible recently, many roads towards the centre of the country are still insecure and food assistance cannot be delivered to many regions. Severe malnutrition and deaths from starvation-related causes are reported from Bomi and Grand Cape Mount Counties but most notably from Tubmanburg where relief food assistance was delivered only in early September after a prolonged period of suspension due to civil strife.
Serious food shortages are emerging in southern Somalia. Despite a recovery in the 1996 main season cereal harvest, production remained well below pre-civil war levels and was reduced in several areas. The food situation is anticipated to be particularly tight in the Lower Juba valley, where a third consecutive poor harvest has been gathered. The food situation is also difficult in Hiran and Gedo regions following a sharp decline in outputs from last year. In the Sudan, serious food supply difficulties are being experienced in traditional food deficit areas of North and West Kordofan and North Darfur, where 1995/96 cereal output fell sharply, household stocks have been depleted and people have little purchasing power. An FAO Mission is currently making an on-the-spot assessment of the 1996 cereal production and the food supply situation in southern Sudan. Food assistance is urgently needed for the affected populations in both countries.
In Burundi, agricultural production and food supplies are likely to be adversely affected, reflecting the impact of economic sanctions and the intensified socio-political crisis in recent months. Food prices have risen sharply since late July and the situation is likely to deteriorate in the coming months as imports of cereals will not be possible. Elsewhere in the Great Lakes region, in Tanzania, despite a good overall cereal harvest, large numbers of people are in need of food aid following localized crop failures. In the Kibu province of Zaire growing political tension has resulted in further population displacements; the food situation in the area remains precarious and continued food assistance is required.
The food situation is improving significantly in Southern Africa, following a sharp recovery in the coarse grains harvest earlier in the year. The sub-region’s total cereal output is estimated at 24 million tons, 65 percent over the 1995 level and 35 percent above average. Available maize supplies are sufficient to cover this marketing season’s requirements, including the replenishment of stocks, which had been seriously depleted following last year’s drought-reduced harvest. An exportable surplus of over 2 million tons of maize is anticipated, mostly from South Africa and Zimbabwe. However, substantial food assistance continues to be required in several countries, particularly Angola and Mozambique. In Namibia, livestock conditions have deteriorated due to serious shortages of water and pastures.
In western Africa, harvest prospects are generally favourable so far. In the Sahel, following irregular precipitation in July, increasing rains in mid and late August improved crop prospects in most countries. However, in the areas affected by earlier dry conditions, yield potential will be reduced and late plantings or replantings will need rains late in the season to cover their entire growing cycle. Grasshoppers are reported in several Sahelian countries, but damage to crops remains limited. Crop prospects are also favourable in the countries along the gulf of Guinea where the first maize crop has already been harvested. However, poor harvests are in prospect in Liberia (see above) and Sierra Leone following several years of civil strife which have adversely affected agricultural production and marketing activities.