Food insecurity has continued to worsen in West and Central Africa with the number of hungry people set to reach a “staggering 49.5 million” by the middle of next year, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

“Acute hunger remains at record levels in the region, yet funding needed to respond is not keeping a pace”, UN World Food Programme (WFP) regional director Margot Vandervelden said, stressing that for lack of funds WFP has been forced to scale back lifesaving assistance for those in need.

Acute hunger in West and Central Africa is mainly driven by conflict which has driven millions out of their homes and farms, along with the climate crisis and high food and fuel prices. 

More than two in three households cannot afford healthy diets the cost of which in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is 110 per cent higher than the daily minimum wage. 

Four in five of the region’s youngest children do not consume the minimum number of food groups they need for optimal growth and development, WFP warned, together with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

In the first ten months of 2023, 1.9 million children under five were admitted for treatment due to severe wasting across nine Sahel countries, representing a 20 per cent increase from last year.

Source: UN News

https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/12/1144732