Zimbabwe is calling for international aid after its inflation rate increased to over 700%. The southern African country’s inhabitants are facing not only a humanitarian crisis, but also a hunger crisis on top of the problems created by COVID-19. The World Food Program warns that by the end of the year, 60% of Zimbabwe’s inhabitants will be food insecure. 

The Humanitarian Crisis

The 2017 overthrow of the country’s former dictator, Robert Mugabe, brought dreams of change to the entire country as Emmerson Mnangagwa took over. Mnangagwa, a member of Mugabe’s ZANU-PF political party, promised better days and pledged to create a new democracy. However, he has not delivered and instead kept the “old authoritarian regime.”. Mnangagwa’s failure to deliver any new form of government has brought on “a crisis reminiscent of the regime’s darkest hours.” The streets of Zimbabwean cities have been filled with protesters calling for change, with many being arrested at first sight as military police stand on “maximum alert.” Despite the country’s many crises, there have been no substantive changes or public messages from Mnangagwa himself. The ruling ZANU-PF’s top response: arresting political opponents and “banning anti-corruption protests”. 

Additionally, Zimbabwe faces huge unemployment rates in the cities, overwhelming rural areas as “migrants return to their villages.” As family heads can no longer support their households, , a new problem has arisen: child prostitution. Now, children are “playing hide and seek with police” as they line the streets, eager to bring home what little money they can to feed their families. 

The Hunger Crisis 

Currently, Zimbabwe is facing problems with farmers harvesting less than half of the country’s yearly needs. This comes as the country faces its third consecutive year of drought, an issue that could become much worse as Zimbabwe enters into the “lean season.” The year has only yielded about “1.1 million tonnes of maize, the country’s staple crop.” Subsistence farmers make up about three-quarters of Zimbabwe’s population, and the continued drought is just perpetuating the country’s severe food crisis. The World Food Program (WFP) says the situation has led to “emergency levels of hunger,” and it plans to bring aid to about 5 million people at the start of next year’s “lean season.”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Zimbabwe

COVID-19 has ravaged the entire world, but the impacts have been even more extreme in developing countries such as Zimbabwe. With over 4,600 cases and 104 deaths, many speculate that the government has inaccurately reported numbers of COVID-19 cases, effectively downplaying the full extent of the catastrophe. President Mnangagwa has taken measures to close the country’s borders and to shut down nightlife through curfews, but cases have spiked anyway. The Zimbabwean government recently released a statement saying it was “concerned over reports of unauthorized persons issuing statements regarding virus test results.” It has been stated that Zimbabwe, along with South Sudan, is among the most vulnerable countries in Africa due to its relatively low level of development, lack of aid and internal political conflicts. 

Ultimately, Zimbabwe is facing a crisis from several fronts as it fights for survival amid a pandemic, poor harvests and an ailing economy. The country’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has called for international aid in light of his country’s crisis. Additionally, the United Nations’ food agency has called for an additional $250 million to put toward relief efforts. Lola Castro, WFP’s regional director for southern Africa, stated that it “needs the international community to step up now to help us prevent a potential humanitarian catastrophe.”