Over five million people in the Central Sahel face severe food shortages as the humanitarian crisis in the region spirals out of control and the Covid-19 pandemic spreads into poor countries in Africa - home to the world's worst health systems, a report by the UN World Food Programme and its partners warned on Thursday.
The number of hungry people is expected to triple to 2.1 million in Burkina Faso when the lean season arrives in June and the country has seen the largest number of officially-reported deaths from the coronavirus anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa, WFP said.
“This is a crisis layered on top of a crisis, and the situation risks getting out of hand,” said Chris Nikoi, WFP’s Regional Director for West Africa. “People are on the brink – we must step up now to save lives – we are the only hope for millions.”
“Our message to the world is clear - look away now and the consequences will be no less than catastrophic,” added Nikoi.
Across the Central Sahel – a region that encompasses Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - the situation is "extremely worrying" with the number of hungry rising steadily as the crisis deepens, also pushing 1.3 million people in Mali and 2 million people in Niger into hunger, said WFP.
The number of people who have fled their homes has also increased four-fold across the Central Sahel and in Burkina Faso has soared to 780,000 up from half a million at the start of the year. The internally displaced have been forced to flee from extremist violence and now rely almost entirely on external aid to survive.
WFP said its food and nutrition assistance offers a lifeline to millions in the region, boosts stability and strengthens the resilience of the communities in which these people live.
More support is needed to tackle the crisis, especially as humanitarian workers are also threatened by Covid-19, said WFP, noting that it has rapidly put measures in place to protect its staff, partners and local populations.
The UN agency said it urgently needs 208 million dollars until the end of August this year to carry out its lifesaving work.
WFP's operations during the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak showed how food aid can play a vital role in limiting the spread of disease and reducing susceptibility to infection through nutrition programmes aimed at people with compromised immune systems such as the chronically ill and the elderly, the agency said.
