Acute food insecurity is on track to reach a ten-year high in the Sahel and West Africa by June of this year - a new study shows - with a worrying expansion of food insecurity into coastal countries, and catastrophic levels of hunger hitting conflict-affected areas of Burkina Faso and Mali where humanitarian assistance is severely hindered by insecurity.
According to the March 2023 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, the number of people lacking regular access to safe and nutritious food is projected to rise to 45 million during the June-August 2023 lean season, a fourfold increase in the last five years. The results of the study also confirm a longer-term trend towards a geographic expansion of food insecurity in the region to coastal areas.
For the first time in the Sahel, 45,000 people are forecast to experience catastrophic (phase 5) levels of hunger, including 42,000 in Burkina and 2,500 in Mali.
The combined effects of conflict, climate shocks, and high food prices continue to drive up hunger and malnutrition in the Sahel and West Africa, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned in a joined statement this week.
“The spiraling food security and nutrition situation in Western Africa is just heart-breaking,” said Chris Nikoi, WFP’s Regional Director for Western Africa.
“There is a crucial need for massive investment in strengthening the capacities of communities and individuals to withstand shocks while prioritizing local and long-term solutions to food production, transformation and access for vulnerable groups,” he added.
The already grim nutritional situation for communities across the region is also on the slide with 16.5 million children under 5 set to face acute malnutrition in 2023, including 4.8 million children set to suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
In addition to the unaffordability of a diversified nutritious and healthy diet - especially for young children and women -, conflict and population displacement are one of the primary drivers of the worsening situation, leading to reduced access to essential social services like health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, and social protection.
Between 2019 and 2023, security incidents increased by 79 percent in the region, causing massive population displacement and disrupting access to farming land and fodder, the UN organizations said.
“Growing insecurity and conflict means vulnerability is increasing in the region, and it is getting harder to help communities in isolated areas,” said UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marie-Pierre Poirier.
Despite improved rainfall in 2022, the access to and availability of food remain of major concern. The region is dependent on food imports, and currency depreciation and high inflation are causing food import bills in the region to rise, even as countries struggle with major fiscal constraints and macroeconomic challenges.
“The continued deterioration of the food and nutrition situation in West Africa and the Sahel is unacceptable; despite the increase of cereal production, access to food for most of the population remains challenging due to the disrupted functioning of markets because of civil insecurity and high food prices” said Robert Guei, FAO’s Sub-regional Coordinator for West Africa.
FAO, OCHA, UNICEF, and WFP renew their call on development and humanitarian partners to support national governments in strengthening food security and nutrition in the region. This includes building food, health, water, sanitation and hygiene systems, and nutrition-sensitive social protection programs that target vulnerable groups such as women and young children.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is an international organization that coordinates and advances international efforts to combat hunger and improve food security and nutrition worldwide. The organization was founded on October 16, 1945, and consists of 195 members. Headquartered in Rome, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs coordinates the work of non-governmental organizations and other national and international actors in humanitarian emergencies. It is the principal international player on humanitarian assistance issues. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is led by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, is the agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. Created in 1946 as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF is today one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to protect children’s rights.
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization. The UN agency, awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, is saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to support people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. The World Food Programme works in over 120 countries and territories. For millions of people worldwide, WFP assistance can make the difference between life and death.
Further information
Full Text: Food insecurity and malnutrition in West and Central Africa at 10-year high as crisis spreads to coastal countries, FAO, OCHA, UNICEF, and WFP, joined press release, published April 18, 2023
https://www.wfp.org/news/food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-west-and-central-africa-10-year-high-crisis-spreads-coastal
Full text: Cadre Harmonisé d’identification des zones à risqué et des populations en insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle: Résultats de l’analyse de l’insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle aiguë courante en mars-mai 2023 et projetée en juin-août 2023 (in French)
https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/ch/Fiche_com_Mars_2023_VF.pdf