MONTHS of drought in southern Africa have left more than 27 million people suffering and caused the region’s worst hunger crisis in decades, the United Nations food agency said today.

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that it could become a “full-scale human catastrophe.”

Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe have declared national disasters due to the drought, triggered by the El Nino weather phenomenon and resultant hunger.

The WFP estimates that some 21 million children in southern Africa are now malnourished as crops have failed.

Spokesman Tomson Phiri said: “This is the worst food crisis in decades.

“October in southern Africa marks the start of the lean season and each month is expected to be worse than the previous one until harvests next year in March and April.

“Crops have failed, livestock have perished and children are lucky to receive one meal per day.”

The WFP needs around $369 million (£282m) to provide immediate help, but it has only received a fifth of that at a time of “soaring global needs,” Mr Phiri said.