Climate change in Africa News

[Nyasa Times] Malawi National Council of Sports Board chairperson, Sunduzwayo Madise has appealed to the public to contribute towards alleviating plight of Cyclone Freddy flood disaster survivors, saying the magnitude of their suffering is unprecedented.

[VOA] Droughts in Somalia may have killed an estimated 43,000 people last year, a new report by the Somali government and United Nations said.

[Unicef] One week after Cyclone Freddy made landfall for a second time in Mozambique, creating severe disruption to critical services, the threat of cholera is growing rapidly for children and families. Thanks to preparation efforts by Government, the number of deaths and people displaced by the cyclone appears to have been lower than for past cyclones of similar magnitude. But flooding caused by Cyclone Freddy, compounded by interruption of water, sanitation and hygiene services, is driving a rapid acceleration in

[ENA] Addis Ababa -- Finance Minister of Ethiopia, Ahmed Shide said that Ethiopia is one of Africa's recent examples of resilience in the face of multiple shocks.

[Namibia Economist] The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Hon Calle Schlettwein called for intensified collaboration among sectors to ensure sustainable water supply and to safeguard the country's freshwater resources.

[CSJNews] Blantyre -- Tropical Cyclone Freddy's death toll in Malawi has hit 476, the government has announced.

[allAfrica] Harare -- Authorities are still grappling with the magnitude of Cyclone Freddy's devastation in Malawi and Mozambique, with over 370 people verified deceased, hundreds still missing, and tens of thousands displaced.

[The Point] A 10-day institutional training on seasonal downscaled rainfall forecast model in The Gambia organised by the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) Technical Assistance Team and funded by the European Union in collaboration with the Department of Water Resources (DWR) on Monday kicked off at Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

[The Point] UN Secretary-General António Guterres yesterday announced the seven young climate leaders who will form his next Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change and called on young people everywhere to ratchet up the pressure, acknowledging their vital role in keeping the world's climate goals alive.

[Nyasa Times] Blantyre City East Member of Parliament (MP), John Bande has expressed his immense appreciation to the assistance rendered from Malawi Relief Fund-UK (MRF-UK) towards survivors of flash floods due to effects of Cyclone Freddy, which was greatly affected of the storms that took place last week.

[Nile Post] Dr. Silver Mugisha has urged Ugandans to plant more trees to reverse the effects of climate change and help restore wetlands.

[Nyasa Times] Following the declaration of state of disaster by President Lazarus Chakwera and an appeal for relief assistance to survivors of the Cyclone Freddy that devastated the Southern Region, Malawi's corporate companies have swiftly responded with financial support.

[VOA] Blantyre, Malawi -- Malawi rescue teams started using sniffer dogs Friday to locate the bodies of people trapped under rubble left after Cyclone Freddy destroyed their houses. The Malawi government announced that Zambia has sent two aircraft to help with rescue efforts and more nations are pledging to do so.

[Nyasa Times] ActionAid International--a global humanitarian organization operating in many countries including Malawi--says it is scaling up its interventions and working with local partners in the country "to urgently assess the impact of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, provide vital assistance to the worst affected survivors and support rescue efforts".

[Nyasa Times] The Republic of Tanzania has donated a cash support amounting $1million to Malawi towards national disasters caused by cyclone Freddy.

[VOA] Maputo, Mozambique -- Mozambique's health minister said Friday a cholera outbreak in the area hit by Cyclone Freddy killed eight people this week and hospitalized 250 - part of 600 sickened since the record storm made landfall in February.

[Nyasa Times] President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has described as the worst cyclone disaster as the death toll now stands at 326 from 225 with predictions that the number will reach more than 500 in the coming days as more bodies continue to be found under rubble of devastated homes and places.

[Addis Standard] Moyale -- Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) from various woredas of Dawa zone, one of the severely hit zones by drought in the Somali region, who are sheltering in two IDP camps in Moyale woreda, told Addis Standard that more than eighteen people have died due to the drought in recent days. Disturbing stories are emerging about people forced to feed on unusual items. Officials of the woreda admitted the severity of that the situation and said it is "beyond their capacity."

[WFP] Blantyre -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has stepped up an emergency response to help an estimated 130,000 people affected by the devastating effects of Cyclone Freddy, which has dumped six months' worth of rainfall in six days in southern Malawi. The cyclone hit the southern African country just as the rainy season was tailing off with several rivers and water bodies already at high levels resulting in severe flooding. This has inundated farmlands and destroyed produce - just as farmers were about to

[New Times] Two people in Gakenke District were on March 15 struck by lightning and died instantly. The victims are, a 4-year-old child from Muyongwe sector, and a 52-year-old man from Gakenke sector.