The organisation says the current El Niño climate system has brought with it serious shortages and more than 24 million children in both regions are affected by food insecurity.
At the same time, The World Bank is warning that the drought has pushed around 50,000 people below the poverty line, here in South Africa.
Unicef’s Megan Gilgan says the impact of the drought on children in Southern Africa and other regions is being underestimated.
She says while the El Niño climate system is only expected to last a few months, its effects on drought-stricken children will take years to undo.
South Africa, in particular, is experiencing its worst drought in more than two decades, with other countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region also struggling to cope with the intense dry spell.
