AFRICA ( Commonwealth Union) _ 45,000 people are at risk of suffering from catastrophic levels of hunger, or being on the verge of famine, for the first time in the Sahel, they claimed. The bulk, 42,000, are in Burkina Faso and Mali, where the distribution of humanitarian supplies has been impeded by violent instability in several regions.
The COVID-19 epidemic, high food prices, violence, and climate shocks all together have increased hunger and malnutrition in the region. According to the most recent research from Cadre Harmonisé, a humanitarian early warning system, 48 million people are anticipated to go without regular access to safe and nourishing food throughout the lean season from June to August.
A rise in childhood malnutrition
WFP, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children’s Fund and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have reaffirmed their request for increased help for regional governments. The research also revealed that this year, 16.5 million children under the age of five are expected to have acute malnutrition, including roughly 5 million who could experience crippling severe malnutrition.
Their figures show a startling 83 percent increase in worldwide acute malnutrition when compared to the average between 2015 and 2022.
Will the trend worsen ?
West and Central Africa are import-dependent, but the cost of importing food is increasing due to currency depreciation and high inflation. Governments are coping with significant fiscal limitations and macroeconomic difficulties as the crisis develops. Additionally, there are worries that limits on seasonal cow migrations and excessive livestock densities in particular areas will exacerbate already poor pastoral and security situations.
The continuous deterioration of the food and nutrition situation, according to Robert Guei, FAO’s Sub-Regional Coordinator for West Africa, is inacceptable. The majority of people still have difficulty getting access to food, he continued, as markets have been disrupted by insecurity and high food costs. This is true even when cereal production has increased.
This trend will probably continue to worsen the food and nutrition situation, so it is necessary to immediately and collectively address the root causes of this crisis. However, In order to attain food sovereignty in our region, it is important to take action to increase agricultural production.
