(3 minutes read)
· Nearly 20 million people face food crises in West Africa and the Sahel region. This can affect 20 million people
· Experts say that the situation could worsen between June and August, with as many as 27 million people needing immediate food aid
· The most industrialized region Nigeria alone, 12.8 million people could face a food crisis
Nearly 20 million people face food crises in West Africa and the Sahel region. This can affect 20 million people. Experts say that the situation could worsen between June and August, with as many as 27 million people needing immediate food aid. The most industrialized region Nigeria alone, 12.8 million people could face a food crisis.
The country has been facing conflicts. Jihadists in the northeast, armed gangs in the northwest as well as dealing with communal strife in central regions, separatist tensions in the southeast and piracy in the nearby Gulf of Guinea are some of the perennial problems being faced by the West African country.
Countries in the sub region also have been plagued by Islamic extremist violence against civilians for years. The displacement of
5.6 million people, weak economies and the pandemic has worsened food shortages in the region. According to some estimates, three million people could face a food crisis in Burkina Faso in the coming months. In the case of Niger, it works out to 2.3 million and 1.8 million each in Chad and Sierra Leone. The food shortages will be crucial in Mali and Liberia.
Frantic efforts are being done by aid organizations like the World Food Programme to anticipate the pockets where food shortages will be crucial and to take preemptive steps.
