Harare, Jumada I 28, 1437, Mar 8, 2016, SPA -- The United Nations on Tuesday appealed to the emerging BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to join the West in helping Zimbabwe combat hunger after it was hit by drought, dpa reported. "The timely support from the BRICS, either bilaterally or through the UN, will go a long way in augmenting ongoing efforts by the government of Zimbabwe, UN, the traditional OECD donor countries, the Red Cross movement and the NGOs," said Bishow Parajuli, head of the UN team in the southern African country. President Robert Mugabe's government recently launched an international appeal for 1.6 billion dollars to cover food imports for 3 million people facing food insecurity. The drought caused by the climatic phenomenon known as El Nino has hit vast parts of southern and eastern Africa, where about 50 million people face food insecurity, according to UN figures. Parajuli described the situation in Zimbabwe as "critical," with the UN only having raised about 78 million dollars so far mainly from the United States, European Union and its own funds. About 20,000 cattle have already died from hunger, he told dpa. -- SPA 22:12 LOCAL TIME 19:12 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w