Last week the international aid group, Oxfam, launched a £23m ($36m) emergency appeal in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Sahel region of East and Central Africa. The funds are expected to assist the 1 million or so people who are at risk of severe acute malnutrition in accessing food, cash, water, livestock support, and sanitation and hygiene information. Oxfam also warn that a further 13 million people in Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal face a real risk of being embroiled in the crisis if urgent action is not taken.
The crisis has resulted from unexpected weather patterns in the region which has led to erratic rains and in turn failed harvests. Global news outlets have filed unpleasant reports of people digging the grounds for ants and grains at a time of year when vegetation is usually at knee-high level.
The statistics especially highlight the difficulties which the inhabitants of the region face in the immediate future. Oxfam reports that the malnutrition rates across the 6 countries in the Sahel are between 10-15%, with some areas beyond the emergency threshold. Grain harvest is also said to be down by 1.4m tonnes across the Sahel region. In addition the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) state that agricultural production in the region is down 25% from 2010.
The most affected of the countries is Mauritania, with a 52% drop in crop production from last year, while Chad’s food production is down by 50% and Niger’s by 27%. Alarmingly food prices are said to be 25%-50% higher than the average for the last 5 years and real possibility exists that this could rise even further.
In urging the world to act promptly in response to the worsening situation, Mamadou Biteye, Oxfam’s Director for West Africa stated: “millions of people are on the threshold of a major crisis. All signs point to a drought becoming catastrophic if nothing is done soon. The world cannot allow this to happen. A concerted aid effort is needed to stop tens of thousands dying due to international complacency.”
The hunger crisis and the situation in the Sahel have been further compounded by clashes between Tuareg rebels and Malian government forces which has led to about 170,000 people fleeing their homes. Added to this are political conflicts and tension within the region, high food prices and entrenched poverty. One recalls the Oxfam and Save Children commissioned report published earlier in the year, which was also examined in some depth by 1worldinternational, criticised the international community’s response to last year’s famine in the horn of Africa. It is hoped that lessons have been learnt from the past and that the international community will act in tandem on this occasion to curtail preventable deaths.
Please visit www.oxfam.org.uk/westafrica to support Oxfam’s disaster relief efforts in the Sahel region of Africa.
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