Southern Africa hunger warning: 45 million at risk

Nearly 45 million people in the southern Africa risk going hungry as a result of drought, floods and coronavirus, a regional bloc representing 16 nations says.

Coronavirus has hit the urban poor especially hard, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) says. Restrictions on movement make it difficult for them to go out to trade.

Unemployment is up, businesses have been forced to close and remittances have decreased.

People are selling basic household items in order to buy food.

Children are also suffering, with eight million predicted to become acutely malnourished this year.

School closures mean more than 20 million children are missing out on school meals.