Sahel Crisis

The region

In geographic terms Africa’s Sahel region stretches across the continent from east to west—a semi-arid belt that lies between the Saharan desert to north and savannas to the south. The word Sahel comes from Arabic and means "coast" or "shore of the desert".  In geopolitical terms the Sahel is a vast region in Africa that includes the countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, northern Cameroon (Far North region), and northern Nigeria. The countries of the Sahel are among the least developed in the world. Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mali rank at the bottom of the Human Development Index (HDI). 

The humanitarian situation

The Sahel region is facing on of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises in the world. And at the same time, it is one of the most forgotten. Armed conflict, deteriorating security, political instability, and widespread poverty are the main drivers of unprecedented humanitarian needs, particularly in the central Sahel region, which includes the countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. This deteriorating humanitarian emergency is further compounded by global food insecurity and the impact of the climate crisis. Rapid climate changes are causing natural disasters to occur with increasing frequency and severity. 

The latest wave of displacement in the region has pushed the total number of people forced to flee to beyond 7.7 million people. As of 2023, more than 6.1 million people are currently internally displaced within their own country in the Sahel, most of them within Burkina Faso (1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs)) and Nigeria (2.2 million IDPs). At least 1.5 million people have sought refuge in neighboring countries. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) identified the situations in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria as some of the most neglected displacement crises globally. 

In 2023, the Sahel faces major humanitarian challenges, with more than 37.8 million people in urgent need of life-saving humanitarian assistance and protection. While 24.1 million people in total are in need of humanitarian assistance in the countries of the Lake Chad Basin (Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon), 13.7 million people require humanitarian aid in the central Sahel countries of Burkina Faso and Mali this year. The six countries where millions of women, men and children are in need of humanitarian assistance include: Mali (9 million), Nigeria (8.3 million), Chad (6.9 million), Cameroon (4.7 million), Burkina Faso (4.7 million), and Niger (4.2 million). 

An unprecedented food crisis is ongoing, driven by conflict, soaring prices of food in global markets, and a decline in agriculture production due to climate change and violence. Between October and December 2022, 32.6 million people in the Sahel and West Africa were expected to experience acute food insecurity (crisis levels or worse), including more than 17 million in Nigeria, nearly 3.6 million in Cameroon, more than 2.6 million in Burkina Faso and over 2 million in Niger. The latest Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis also reveals that over 1.6 million people were projected in emergency levels of food insecurity or worse.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns children in the region could die in devastating numbers unless urgent support is provided, as severe malnutrition and the risk of water-borne disease collide. In Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, drought and conflict are driving water insecurity, with 40 million children facing high to extremely high levels of water vulnerability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), already more children die as a result of unsafe water and sanitation in the Sahel than in any other part of the world.

Without sufficient resources for humanitarian response, the Sahel crisis risks further escalating and putting even more millions of children, women and men at risk. As always, women and children are bearing the brunt of this crisis. According to the aid organization CARE International, the situations in Cameroon, Chad, Mali, and Niger are among the world's forgotten crises that received the least media attention last year.

In 2022, devastating floods in the Sahel and neighboring regions have increased the needs of millions of people. In Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cameroon, above-average rainfall and flooding have killed hundreds, displaced thousands and affected millions.

The security situation

Over the past decade, the Sahel has experienced increasingly violent armed conflicts with the rapid emergence of extremist groups such as Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and Boko Haram. This has fueled intercommunal violence that has killed thousands. Intense and indiscriminate violence has forced millions to flee across the region, both within countries and across borders. 

Security incidents, attacks and kidnappings are a daily reality for millions of civilians and humanitarian workers in the field.  Attacks on civilians and infrastructure and conflict between the state and non-state armed groups have led to massive population displacement across Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. 

Escalating militant Islamist violence in Burkina Faso — especially violence against civilians — forced 682,000 people from their homes in 2021. Violent events linked to militant Islamist groups, notably the Macina Liberation Front and the Islamic State of the Greater Sahara, are projected to increase in 2023. The security situation worsened in Burkina Faso following two military coups in January and September 2022. These patterns are being replicated in Burkina Faso’s neighbors, Mali and Niger.  Mali witnessed another military takeover of power in May 2021.

Security conditions have deteriorated in parts of the Lake Chad Basin — an area comprising portions of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria — in recent months as organized armed groups continue to attack civilians, particularly in Cameroon’s Far North Region and northeastern Nigeria. However, increasing band violence is also reported in northwestern Nigeria, while the food situation there is deteriorating. The ongoing conflict in the Lake Chad Basin, along with climatic shocks and extreme poverty continue to fuel the crisis in the Sahel region. In the Lake Chad Basin crisis area more than 11 million people are in need of humanitarian aid and 3.3 million are currently displaced.

Donations

Your donation for the Sahel emergency can help United Nations agencies, international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their local partners to rapidly provide water, food, medicine, shelter and other aid to the people who need it most.

Currently, many NGOs are appealing for the global hunger crisis. You may also consider making an unearmarked donation or a broader earmarked donation.

You can find more organizations to which you can donate under:  DONARE: Humanitarian Crisis Relief, DONARE: Refugees and IDPs , DONARE: Children in Need and DONARE: Hunger and Food Insecurity.

Further information

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