Madagascar

The people of Grand Sud and the Grand Sud-Est (South-east) face urgent needs following multiple climatic hazards including drought and successive cyclones. At least 2.3 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance between August 2023 and May 2024. 

The food security situation in the Grand Sud has relatively stabilized due to a significant scale-up in humanitarian assistance and the positive impact of the 2023 rainy season. However, the situation remains fragile and will further be exacerbated by the impacts of El Niño characterized by rainfall deficits that started in November and December 2023. The situation in the Grand Sud-Est remains critical and will likely deteriorate during the hunger gap season (January to April 2024).

In the Grand Sud-Est region of Madagascar, 6 out of 11 districts, are projected to be in IPC phase 3 (crisis) of food insecurity and malnutrition from February to April 2024, while in Ikongo and Nosy Varika, which were in IPC phase 3 from October 2023 to January 2024, will be in IPC phase 4 of acute malnutrition (emergency). 

Between February and April 2024, food insecurity deterioration is expected in the Grand Sud, mainly due to rainfall deficit caused by El Niño with more than seven districts in (IPC3) and over 262,000 children under 5 facing acute malnutrition until September 2024. Ampanihy District is experiencing a crisis phase of malnutrition since October.

 Meanwhile, malaria cases in Ikongo and Nosy districts have spiked in the last quarter of 2023. 

In the Grand Sud and Grand Sud-Est regions, more than two million people received humanitarian assistance by the end of December 2023, including 763,700 in the Grand Sud-Est and 1.2 million in the Grand Sud. In 2024, the humanitarian community aims to reach 1.6 million people through immediate humanitarian response and anticipatory actions for El Niño.