Harare, February 5 (RHC)-- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has declared a state of disaster as a severe drought has been ravaging most rural areas in the South African country.

"The president has declared a state of disaster in regard to severely affected areas," Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said in a statement on Friday.

The declaration is expected to trigger a response from the international community to provide food aid to Zimbabwe.

Currently, 26 percent of the population -- comprising some 2.44 million people -- is in need of food aid, said Kasukuwere. Villages in southern Zimbabwe have lost caHarare, February 5 (RHC)-- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has declared a state of disaster as a severe drought has been ravaging most rural areas in the South African country. ttle and crops in the drought.

The El Nino weather phenomenon sparked a dramatic rise in the number of people going hungry in Africa. It is characterized by the warming of surface waters in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, which is connected to drought in Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia and heavy rains in South America.