The non-governmental organization Oxfam warned Tuesday that about fifty million West Africans are at risk of starvation due to the repercussions of the Covid-19 epidemic, which has exacerbated the problems of drought and insecurity in the region.
The international humanitarian organization - based on estimates by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - said that the number of people suffering from a food crisis in the region could rise by 200% within three months, to reach fifty million in August compared to 17 million in June. June.
She added that - despite the efforts made by the countries concerned - the people at risk of starvation, whether they live in cities or rural areas, are experiencing increasing difficulties in accessing foodstuff markets and are facing a steady rise in prices and a decrease in the availability of some basic foodstuffs, due to General lockdown measures imposed to limit the spread of the epidemic, border closures and insecurity in some areas.
Hammadou Hamdoune Deko, president of the Association for the Promotion of Livestock in the Sahel and Savannah Region (Abis), said that Burkina Faso had witnessed, within a few days, “an increase in the price of a 100-kg bag of millet from 16 thousand to 19 thousand African francs, and the price of a liter of cooking oil increased by 100% Almost… I wonder how we will go through Ramadan this year in light of the presence of the virus in addition to the insecurity. "
Oxfam noted that in countries facing humanitarian crises, access to food has become more difficult.
In Burkina Faso and Niger, humanitarian aid cannot reach the thousands of displaced people or cover their food needs, making emergency aid programs more important than ever before.
The organization added that with the start of the agricultural season, producers and farmers are also facing difficulties in obtaining high-quality seeds and fertilizers.
Agriculture contributes 30.5% of the West African economy, and is the largest source of income and livelihood for between 70% and 80% of the population, especially for women.
On the other hand, pastoralists and societies that live on herding livestock are experiencing increasing difficulties in securing livelihood, due to the closure of borders between countries or even regions and the implications of climate change, which has a negative impact on creating pastures, which threatens to increase conflicts between herders and farmers.