Total Loss Of Control
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While the main protagonists in the political crisis have continued to trade blows in recent months, food insecurity has worsened to a crisis level. According to the UN, the last maize harvest was down 28% on the previous one, which itself fell by 44% from the previous year. The outlook is not much better: 27,000 tonnes of maize seed are needed for a normal harvest, but experts predict that only 2,500 will be available for the next crop cycle, and fertilisers and fuel for farm machinery are virtually unobtainable. The UN warns that up to 5 million people will depend on food aid in coming months. The first step towards any political settlement should be the depoliticisation of food distribution, including a lifting of the ban imposed by the regime in June on NGO operations. At present, leading NGOs say they are only able to help 150,000 of the most needy.