GENEVA (AFP) — More than 200,000 people in Namibia have been affected by
heavy flooding near the northern border with Angola since January, the
United Nations said on Friday.

Fields of crops have been soaked and the loss of agricultural produce
could have an impact on the region's food security, said Elisabeth Byrs,
spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA).

"The torrential rain has calmed but we believe that they will continue
as we are still in the rainy season with the rain to last another four
weeks," she said, noting that there are fears that flooding could
trigger a further spread of cholera.

"A lot of crops has been damaged... We will have to see if the loss of
these crops would have dramatic consequences for food security," she added.

Namibia's president declared a state of emergency Tuesday in the north
after heavy flooding that has killed 92 since January and displaced
thousands.

President Hifikepunye Pohamba told reporters at a special briefing that
92 people have drowned since January and 218 schools closed, leaving
100,000 children unable to attend classes.

The flooding has also impacted neighbouring Angola, Byrs said, quoting
government figures that over 22,000 people have been relocated and
90,000 hectares of land destroyed.

The Red Cross said Tuesday that at least 19 people have died from the
flooding in Angola, with 10 deaths reported in the southern province of
Cunene where more than 75,000 people have been affected by the floods.

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