Africa·Madagascar
Southern Madagascar braces for El Niño with 2.5 million already facing acute hunger
ANTANANARIVO —
Depth
Dig five layers into this story — from what happened to the full picture.
L1What happened
More than 2.5 million people in Madagascar’s Greater South face acute food insecurity after a severe drought and a near-total collapse of the 2025–26 farming season.
L2Who’s affected
Children most of all: the IPC forecasts that by April 2027, 39 per cent of children under five in the Grand South — nearly 270,000 — will be acutely malnourished. Six districts are projected at emergency (Phase 4) conditions.
L3Why it’s quiet
Madagascar was No. 10 on CARE’s list of the ten least-covered humanitarian crises of 2025, with 6,210 online articles all year.
L4Deeper impact
WFP expects around 3.7 million people nationwide in crisis-level food insecurity. Aid cuts and inflation add to the threat.
L5Full context
Action Against Hunger warned El Niño could make things worse from October 2026, and its effects could persist until 2028.
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Original reporting
This is an OVERLOOKED summary of the reporting above. Facts and figures come from the linked sources. Support this work.
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