Food insecurity has reached a new peak, stated the Sahel Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA). This is again worrying for the region.
During a virtual meeting that ended on Friday, April 9, the RPCA takes stock of the food security situation in the Sahel region and looks at forecasts for the summer month.
19.6 million people currently in the Sahel and West Africa are not getting enough food, according to experts in the region, who predict that this food crisis will worsen between two harvests in the coming months.
Food Crisis Prevention Network analysts expect 27 million people to need immediate help, or more than 9% of the population in the 14 affected countries, and the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation.
Uncertainty and instability
These recurring crises are the result of several factors, with uncertainty, instability and conflict as the main cause. But there are other challenges in the region, such as land issues, conflicts between herdsmen and farmers. caused by transhumance or even climate change.
In the face of the deterioration of food security over the years, some officials call for looking beyond the immediate response to the population in the form of humanitarian aid, which should be “a last resort”.
►Also listen: In the Sahel, the number of food-safe people has doubled in one year
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