Chad climate disaster leaves 2.1 million people hungry

United Nations agencies on Wednesday said severe drought followed by floods has led to rocketing food prices and left a record of 2.1 million people acutely hungry in Chad.

The United Nations children’s fund said as a result of the climate disaster, 10 per cent of all children under five are affected by severe malnutrition, and one in three will suffer from stunted growth.

Fatimé Mahamat Idriss, a flood and drought victim was seen feeding her gaunt toddler through a feeding tube in Notre Dame des Apotres Hospital in the capital N’Djamena.

Idriss said her husband sought work in a gold mine in the north, when the harvest failed, leaving no food for their three children.

According to the World Bank, Chad’s total population stands at16.4 million.