Lesotho facing 'catastrophe'

[dArKeR]

Johannesburg - Urgent action is needed halt the humanitarian crisis caused by drought and Aids in Lesotho, a United Nations official said on Friday.

James Morris, the UN Secretary-General's special envoy for humanitarian needs in southern Africa, said: "Any hopes that Lesotho's humanitarian crisis would improve this year have been dashed by another drought and the increasingly destructive consequences of HIV/Aids."

Morris arrived on Friday in the capital, Maseru, accompanied by Carol Bellamy, executive director of the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) and Peter Piot, the executive director of UNAIDS.

The Lesotho government declared a food emergency in February when it became clear that the harvest would cover only 10 percent of food requirements.

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