Southern Africa Humanitarian Snapshot (November 2023)

In Southern Africa, humanitarian needs continued to be largely driven by the effects of climate change, disease outbreaks, and armed violence in northern Mozambique. The 2022–2023 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was one of the most destructive and longest-lived on record, mostly due to Cyclone Freddy which affected Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi between February and March 2023. Cyclones Freddy and Cheneso in early 2023 left a trail of devastation in their wake; killing at least 890 people, affecting 2.8 million people and displacing 916 people.

Hot and dry conditions in the western parts of the region and the impact of Cyclone Freddy in the eastern areas resulted in poor harvests. Close to 18 million people across the region are estimated to face Crisis or worse food security conditions in early 2024, with some areas in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe being of highest concern. Climate projections indicate that most of the Southern Africa region is likely to receive below-normal rainfall during the October-December period due to El Niño. Drought conditions are expected to persist with dry conditions and above-normal temperatures expected to impact key cropping areas, during the crucial December-January planting period, impacting yields in 2024.

Disease outbreaks were on the rise across Southern Africa. Cholera cases continued to be reported in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia, with Zimbabwe recording alarming spikes in cases, according to the World Health Organization. Measles cases have been recorded in multiple countries across the region, as has anthrax in Zambia, scabies in Malawi and polio outbreaks in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

In 2023, the humanitarian situation in northern Mozambique was marked by the steady return of internally displaced people (IDPs) to their home districts. The motivations behind this return varied, encompassing factors such as an enhanced security situation, the desire for family reunification, securing land for cultivation, and seeking improved living conditions. By August, the number of returnees had reached over 570,000 people, while remaining IDPs stood at approximately 670,000.