CAPE TOWN A food crisis triggered by the most severe drought in the last 40 years in southern Africa has left 15 million people in need of urgent food assistance beginning this month. The region is experiencing the worst drought in 40 years, primarily affecting Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Botswana and Lesotho due to the El Nino weather phenomenon that has been in effect since July 2023, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Regional countries, which