UN humanitarian agencies warned today, Tuesday, that 48 million people in West and Central Africa are facing severe food insecurity in the coming months. It is expected that 45,000 people in the Sahel region will face catastrophic hunger, according to the United Nations World Food Programme, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Part of the problem is attributed to Mali and Burkina Faso's response to an Islamist militant uprising, which has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of about 2.5 million people. A senior emergency preparedness and response advisor at the World Food Programme, Alexander Likoziet, stated, "The fighting has cut off food supply routes in parts of the Sahel and other conflict hotspots around Lake Chad and in the Central African Republic."
He added, "We see areas completely cut off. The high cost of renting helicopters to access these areas is draining funds available for purchasing food." He continued, "The World Food Programme is facing an overall shortfall estimated at around $900 million this year in the region."
West and Central Africa is facing increasing risks due to rising temperatures and irregular rainfall. The Ukrainian war has also contributed to shortages of food and fertilizers in one of the poorest regions of the world.
