Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has warned that his country faces a humanitarian crisis in the coming months, if a new power-sharing government is not formed soon.
Tsvangirai told reporters in Harare Saturday that an estimated 5.5 million Zimbabweans will require food aid by the end of this year.
The leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said a power-sharing deal must be struck with President Robert Mugabe in the coming days, in order to ensure "people have food and do not die of starvation." Tsvangirai expressed optimism, saying their differences are surmountable.
He and President Mugabe signed a historic accord September 15 in which Mr. Mugabe will remain president and Tsvangirai will become the country's prime minister. But talks on the deal have stalled in recent days over the assignment to Cabinet posts.
Zimbabwe has been without an official government for months following disputed presidential elections. Tsvangirai won the most votes in the first round, but pulled out of the runoff because of state-sponsored violence against his supporters.
Zimbabwe's economy has continued to crumble, with inflation soaring to an estimated 11 million percent, and food shortages becoming more severe following a failed harvest.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.