No fewer than 14 million people are facing hunger in Southern Africa due to drought exacerbated by an El Nino weather pattern, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday.

The worst-affected country is Malawi, where 2.8 million people or 16 per cent of the population are expected to go hungry.

Another country following in the list is the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, where almost 1.9 million are at risk, WFP said in a statement.

“With little or no rain falling in many areas and the window for the planting of cereals closing fast or already closed in some countries, the outlook is alarming,’’ it said.