Zambia — humanitarian situation

Zambia's food security situation has improved markedly compared to the previous year, with an estimated 698,000 people—4 percent of the analyzed population across 93 districts—experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity during April–September 2026, down from 1.2 million in the same period in 2025 IPC. However, pockets of vulnerability persist. Stressed food security outcomes continue in parts of Western and Southern provinces through January 2027, driven by April flooding, localized production losses, prolonged dry spells, and Foot and Mouth Disease-related livestock movement restrictions FEWS NET. The 2023/24 El Niño-induced drought necessitated emergency agricultural support, with distribution of inputs including seeds and fertilizers to 1,171 smallholder households FAO. Most affected households are expected to meet minimum food needs through food stocks, non-agricultural labor, and livestock income, though below-average food availability persists in affected areas. Zambia has intensified epidemic preparedness in response to the escalating Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, where more than 5,001 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths had been reported as of mid-August IOM. The outbreak, declared in May 2026, has driven approximately 15,700 Congolese refugees and asylum-seekers to neighboring countries since January UNHCR. UNICEF delivered water, sanitation, hygiene, and infection prevention supplies worth over 2 million Kwacha to the Ministry of Health to strengthen national preparedness and protect children, health workers, and communities UNICEF. Additionally, the government launched a final round of polio vaccination targeting approximately 3.9 million children under five, leveraging partnerships with WHO, Rotary International, and UNICEF WHO. Zambia hosts refugees primarily in the Mantapala Refugee Settlement, where WFP and partners supported livelihood interventions reaching 1,000 refugee households and 200 host-community households through climate-smart agriculture, irrigation, and seed systems to enhance long-term resilience WFP. The country is also engaging in regional cooperation, with preparations underway for a South-South learning exchange with Namibia to share school feeding program expertise WFP.